Egypt's constitutional principles under threat
Arabic News Digest
Egypt must beware of theocratisation
Proponents of political Islam are attacking Egypt's "constitutional principles" proposal, columnist Ali Ibrahim wrote in the London-based newspaper Asharq Al Awsat.
The proposal is under review by the cabinet and the ruling Military Council, but the attacks give one reason to believe that the country's Islamists may well be intending to "hijack" Egyptian identity and reduce it to religiosity, the columnist wrote.
The constitutional principles' draft, as published in the Egyptian press, contains nothing very divisive. "These are broad principles … providing for a civil, democratic state, predicated on the values of citizenship, rule of law, respect of plurality, justice, equal opportunity," the writer said.
According to this proposal, the people represent the nation's sovereignty and are, alone, the source of power. "It's hard to see how anyone with good intentions would object to any of these principles," the columnist went on.
Why is it, then, that the undercurrents of political Islam in Egypt, namely the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Gamaa Al Islamiya, are uneasy about it? The "sovereignty to the people" item might be the answer. "It is the phrase that protects the nation's identity from going down the route of a theocracy," the writer noted.
Following a theocratic model, say like Iran, where "spiritual leadership" overwhelms politics, is no way to go for Egyptians.
source: http://www.thenational.ae/thenation...egypts-constitutional-principles-under-threat
Arabic News Digest
Egypt must beware of theocratisation
Proponents of political Islam are attacking Egypt's "constitutional principles" proposal, columnist Ali Ibrahim wrote in the London-based newspaper Asharq Al Awsat.
The proposal is under review by the cabinet and the ruling Military Council, but the attacks give one reason to believe that the country's Islamists may well be intending to "hijack" Egyptian identity and reduce it to religiosity, the columnist wrote.
The constitutional principles' draft, as published in the Egyptian press, contains nothing very divisive. "These are broad principles … providing for a civil, democratic state, predicated on the values of citizenship, rule of law, respect of plurality, justice, equal opportunity," the writer said.
According to this proposal, the people represent the nation's sovereignty and are, alone, the source of power. "It's hard to see how anyone with good intentions would object to any of these principles," the columnist went on.
Why is it, then, that the undercurrents of political Islam in Egypt, namely the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Gamaa Al Islamiya, are uneasy about it? The "sovereignty to the people" item might be the answer. "It is the phrase that protects the nation's identity from going down the route of a theocracy," the writer noted.
Following a theocratic model, say like Iran, where "spiritual leadership" overwhelms politics, is no way to go for Egyptians.
source: http://www.thenational.ae/thenation...egypts-constitutional-principles-under-threat
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