15 September 2013

Islam to remain state religion in Egypt's new constitution

Egypt's constitution-drafting committee is unlikely to amend Article Two which defines the role of Islamic law in legislation, committee spokesperson Mohamed Salmawi said on Sunday.

Article Two, which was introduced in the 1971 constitution, states that "Islam is the religion of the state and the principles of Islamic Sharia are the principal source of legislation."

Some leftist members of the 50-member-committee have called for Article Two to be amended in a way that would keep Islam as the official religion of the state while basing legislation on the spirit of all three major monotheistic religions. [Ahram Online] Read more