Discussions in the 50-member committee tasked with amending the Egyptian constitution are ongoing, especially after the committee deleted the word "civil" from the text of the first article of the constitution, maintained the second article on Islamic Sharia and kept the third article on Christians and Jews resorting to their own laws in their personal status and choosing of their religious leaders.
The committee has ignored the proposals made by the Coptic Church and human rights activists, who demanded the committee give non-Muslims the right to resort to their religious laws, and not to limit such rights to Christians and Jews only.
Followers believe the deletion of the phrase "civil state" from the text of the first article comes to satisfy the Salafist Nour Party, which threatened to withdraw from the committee, despite the committee’s agreement to resolve controversial articles through voting.
The committee has ignored the proposals made by the Coptic Church and human rights activists, who demanded the committee give non-Muslims the right to resort to their religious laws, and not to limit such rights to Christians and Jews only.
Followers believe the deletion of the phrase "civil state" from the text of the first article comes to satisfy the Salafist Nour Party, which threatened to withdraw from the committee, despite the committee’s agreement to resolve controversial articles through voting.
The committee deleted some articles to reach consensus, although the majority of members of the committee supported keeping the phrase "civil state," which opens the door for controversy on the reasons for removing the phrase.
Political analysts are concerned with the attempts by Nour Party to dominate the committee and force it to adopt its ideas and proposals, especially as it has made some proposals and insisted on them.
The party said it would withdraw from the committee if its proposals were ignored. This urged the committee to delete the phrase "civil state" from article one and limit resorting to religious laws on personal status to Christians and Jews only.
The committee also added Article 219, on the interpretation of the principles of Islamic Sharia, in the preamble to the constitution, though the draft constitution submitted by the committee of experts to the 50-member committee excluded this article.
Statements by Bishop Paul, the representative of the Orthodox Church in the 50-member committee, on the imposition of Salafis to their proposal to delete the "civil state" from the constitution and to retain Article 219 in the preamble through coordination with Al-Azhar and away from the church, raise concerns among many observers.
Politicians and constitutional law professors warn the committee of yielding to the insistence of the Nour Party on its proposals, stressing that this situation could create a crisis in the future.
They believe that the Salafi leaders may release statements that the party has managed to pass its proposals through devious ways, as happened when Yasser Brhamme, vice president of the Salafist Calling, said, after the referendum on the Constitution of 2012, that the Nour Party managed to pass Article 219 by deceiving the Constituent Assembly of the 2012 Constitution.
Concerns are raised about why the committee has responded to the threats of the Nour Party and adopted its proposals, moving forward towards consensus on other articles, even though voting is against the proposals of the party.
Followers and observers of the committee’s works believe there are hidden forces that work to strengthen the position of the Nour Party in the committee and force it to comply with these proposals, even if they are against the will of the majority of the committee members.
Political analysts are concerned with the attempts by Nour Party to dominate the committee and force it to adopt its ideas and proposals, especially as it has made some proposals and insisted on them.
The party said it would withdraw from the committee if its proposals were ignored. This urged the committee to delete the phrase "civil state" from article one and limit resorting to religious laws on personal status to Christians and Jews only.
The committee also added Article 219, on the interpretation of the principles of Islamic Sharia, in the preamble to the constitution, though the draft constitution submitted by the committee of experts to the 50-member committee excluded this article.
Statements by Bishop Paul, the representative of the Orthodox Church in the 50-member committee, on the imposition of Salafis to their proposal to delete the "civil state" from the constitution and to retain Article 219 in the preamble through coordination with Al-Azhar and away from the church, raise concerns among many observers.
Politicians and constitutional law professors warn the committee of yielding to the insistence of the Nour Party on its proposals, stressing that this situation could create a crisis in the future.
They believe that the Salafi leaders may release statements that the party has managed to pass its proposals through devious ways, as happened when Yasser Brhamme, vice president of the Salafist Calling, said, after the referendum on the Constitution of 2012, that the Nour Party managed to pass Article 219 by deceiving the Constituent Assembly of the 2012 Constitution.
Concerns are raised about why the committee has responded to the threats of the Nour Party and adopted its proposals, moving forward towards consensus on other articles, even though voting is against the proposals of the party.
Followers and observers of the committee’s works believe there are hidden forces that work to strengthen the position of the Nour Party in the committee and force it to comply with these proposals, even if they are against the will of the majority of the committee members.