Secularists to dominate Egypt's final constitution-drafting process
Representatives of secular forces are expected to dominate the 50-member committee entrusted with writing the final draft of Egypt's new constitution
Gamal Essam El-Din , Monday 26 Aug 2013 -- Ahram online
Egyptian
Presidency, Egypt's interim President Adly Mansour makes his first
address to the nation since taking his post after the ouster of Islamist
President Mohamed Morsi, in Cairo, Egypt July 18, 2013 (Photo: AP)
The committee was formed in accordance with Article 28 of the
constitutional declaration issued by Mansour on 8 July, after Islamist
president Mohamed Morsi was ousted from office on 3 July.
The second stage is expected to begin within days, with President
Mansour issuing a decree forming a 50-member committee representing all
segments of society to write the final draft of Egypt's new
constitution.
According to Article 29 of the 8 July declaration, the 50-member
committee must include representatives of political parties,
intellectuals, workers, farmers, unionists, and national councils.
It must also be composed of representatives of Al-Azhar, Egyptian
Churches, the armed forces, police, public figures and at least ten
figures representing youth and women.
Informed sources close to the ten-member technical committee revealed
to Ahram Online that: "The presidency has already received the names
nominated by political, religious, social and economic institutions to
form the 50-member committee."
The lists show that secular forces are slated to gain a majority in the
50-member committee entrusted with completing the constitution before
it is put to a national referendum.
Islamists, who dominated the 100-member constituent assembly that drafted Egypt's 2012 constitution, will be a minority.
The secularists will primarily belong to liberal and leftist (Nasserist
and nationalist) factions. Islamist representatives will be confined to
two forces: the ultraconservative Salafist Nour Party and Al-Azhar.
The initial list of the secularist representatives will include
liberals such as former foreign minister Amr Moussa, Journalists'
Syndicate leader and Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies
director Diaa Rashwan, and leftists such as Sameh Ashour, Lawyers'
Syndicate chairman and chairman of the Arab Nasserist Party.
The list will also include Mahmoud Badr and Mohamed Abdel-Aziz,
liberals representing the Tamarod movement which spearheaded the 30 June
protests against Morsi.
Liberals will include Manal El-Taibi, a female political and human
rights activist who withdrew from the Islamist-dominated constituent
assembly in 2012 because she objected to articles imposing a strict
Islamic code and violating the rights of women and children.
Liberals are also expected to include high-profile constitutional law
professor Mohamed Nour Farahat, representing the Egyptian Social
Democratic Party.
At the top of the list of leftist members is Abdel-Ghaffar Shukr, representing the Socialist Popular Current and Tagammu.
Informed sources told Ahram Online that the presidency stipulated that
lawyers', journalists', doctors' and engineers' syndicates should send
one representative each.
The Engineers' Syndicate is currently controlled by the Muslim
Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, and it is unclear how its
representative will be chosen, given that the Islamic group has been
opposing the ongoing roadmap in continued protests against Morsi's
overthrow.
As for religious institutions, sources indicated that Hassan Al-Shafie,
deputy to Al-Azhar's grand imam, is likely to represent Al-Azhar.
Another figure representing Al-Azhar is expected to join the committee.
Informed sources also indicated that figures representing Egypt's three
main Churches (Coptic, Anglican and Catholic) will be selected as
members of the committee. Anpa Pola, archbishop of the Nile Delta’s
Tanta province, will represent the Coptic Church, while priest Safwat
El-Biyadi is expected to represent the Anglican Church.
Major-General Mamdouh Shahin is expected to represent the armed forces,
although several political activists accuse him of collaborating with
Islamists while drafting the 2012 constitution.
The controversial Article 219
Nour Party will have just one representative who is expected to be
party chairman Younis Makhyoun. Nour announced on Sunday that it would
join the 50-member committee.
In a statement issued on 25 August, Nour said it had decided to
participate in order to defend the Islamic identity of Egypt. It added
that it is against eliminating Article 219 of the 2012 constitution which
defines the "principles" of Islamic Sharia referenced in Article 2.
"This article (219) is necessary to reinforce Sunni Islam and stem the
growth of Shiism in Egypt," said the statement.
Nour complained that "the ten-member technical committee which took
charge of amending the 2012 constitution was by no means an elected
body. How can an unelected body bear the responsibility of drafting
Egypt's new constitution?"
Nour's statement was sharply criticised by secular forces. Prominent
lawyer Essam El-Islambouli said: "Nour is by no means authorised to give
a judgement on the ten-member technical committee... Let's recall that
most constitution-drafting committees formed since the January 25
Revolution in 2011 were by no means elected."
"The Nour Party itself, under the Morsi regime, called for forming a committee to amend the 2012 constitution," he added.
El-Islambouli also said: "Article 219 is a mean of delivering an
interpretation of Islamic Sharia but it rather helps Islamists impose a
strict form of Islam on Egyptians."
Secular political activists, he added, believe "Nour's decision to join the 50-member committee is just a tactic."
Tamarod's Badr said: "We believe this Islamist party will eventually
withdraw from the committee when it finds that most forces are in favour
of removing Article 219. It will then exploit this withdrawal to
stigmatise the new constitution as reflecting secular and anti-Islam
values."
The Freedom and Justice Party newspaper – the mouthpiece of the Muslim
Brotherhood – came out on Sunday, alleging that: "The new constitution
will give liberals and secularists the right to insult Islam and spread
immorality."
Injy Hamdi, a founding member of the April 6 Movement, on Monday asked:
"How can a religious party whose members refuse to stand up while the
national anthem is playing, incite violence against Shias, and support
codifying the marriage of children, be allowed to join the
constitution-drafting process?"
Badr said: "Secularists and revolutionaries will never allow Islamist
forces – such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Nour – to impose their
medieval viewpoints on the new constitution."
El-Islambouli argued that: "With the exception of Article 2, which
states that Islamic Sharia is the major source of legislation in Egypt,
all other Islamic Sharia articles must be removed because they aim to
impose a strict Islamic code on Egypt."
He noted that: "Al-Azhar, the highest authority in Sunni Islam, never
asked the Morsi regime for an article delivering an interpretation of
Islamic Sharia.”
He added: "The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar himself stressed many times that
Al-Azhar is not interested in drafting any articles that give an
interpretation of Islamic Sharia or even that grant its council of grand
clerics a final say on Islamic Sharia matters."
Al-Azhar stressed that the Supreme Constitutional Court must be left to deliver the final say on Islamic Sharia issues.
The ten-member technical committee decided to cut Article 4 short,
stripping Al-Azhar's council of grand clerics the right to have a say on
Islamic Sharia issues.
Labels: Egypt, Human Relations, Human Rights, Muslim Brotherhood, Social-Cultural Deviations
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