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Egypt's Constitution Revision Panel Appointed; Impact On Religious Pluralism Is Uncertain

By Howard M. Friedman

Egypt's military council yesterday selected an 8-member committee to quickly recommend revisions to the country's constitution. Chairman of the revision committee is Tareq el-Bishri, a former judge and prominent historian.  Other members are: Sobeh Saleh, a lawyer, former member of Parliament and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood; Maher Samy Youssef, a Coptic Christian judge; two other judges-- Hassan El Badrawi and Hatem Bagatou; and three law professors-- Mohamed Hassaneim Abdel Al, Mahmoud Atef El Bana and Mohamed Bahey Abou Younis.  News reports place very different interpretations on the panel's likely approach to issues of religious pluralism in Egypt. The New York Times has a rather upbeat report, calling the selections "the first significant evidence of the military's commitment to moving the country toward democratic rule." It continued:

The committee will be led by Tareq el-Bishri, a prominent former judge known for maintaining his independence of the Mubarak government. He was once thought to be left leaning but is considered be sympathetic to moderate Islamism, legal analysts said, making him a bridge figure between the main Egyptian political factions.

In contrast, London's Telegraph ran a report saying:

Tarek al-Bishry, the chairman of the constitutional panel, is a respected judge who criticised former president Hosni Mubarak and is regarded as moderate in his views. But he has been associated with Al-Wasat, an offshoot of the Brotherhood. He has selected a committee made up mainly of judges and politicians, including a judge who is a Coptic Christian, but also a former Muslim Brotherhood MP. There are no women.

Wael Abbas, the best-known human rights blogger in Egypt, who was sentenced to prison by the Mubarak regime last year, said it was a "worrying" choice. "There is no such thing as a moderate Islamist," he said. "We want a secular state that respects all religions and which belongs to all religions." ...

[T]he make-up of the new committee, and the fact it has been given just ten days to come up with a new constitution, has dashed hopes that it will remove Article 2, which makes Islam the state religion and says Shariah is the main source of law.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on February 16, 2011 (boomark / email).