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I'm afraid history is well littered with the negative impact of religion when mixed with politics (and I don't mean a politician happens to have a faith, I mean has serious influence).
Religion by its very nature fixes absolutes of behaviour and what is permissable. It also stiffles change. As a single example, if Christianity had its way we'd still think the Sun orbited the Earth and the Earth was the centre of the Universe.
No religion that I'm aware of (and I've taken Religious Studies so I've looked at a few) in any way would have supported or led to the advances and steps forward our race has taken.
While many do put forward acceptable moral attitudes those same morals can be just as easily encapsulated by a nations laws without the negative restraint of a religion.
And let's not assume this all happened 'a long time ago' look at the 'Creationism' nonsense in recent years in US, or the fact that there are countries were due to religion its the womans fault if a man rapes her and she is then punished.
I guess a lot of people need 'faith' as a comfort blanket against both the scale of the Universe and the concept of ceasing to exist after a finite time, but I for one would be speedily leaving any country I lived in should it look like there was to be any unsuitable mixing of religion and politics.
Faith in Church, faith in private - laws and civil rights in public and politics.
Try to be reasonable... its easier than you think...
