Egyptian Church leaders refuse to have Sharia, not principles, as legislative source
Egyptian Church leaders refuse to have Sharia, not principles, as legislative source (Photo: Al-Masry Al-Youm)
Egyptian church leaders have said they will reject a proposed amendment to the constituation article, inherited from the 1971 Egyptian Constitution, that says the principles of Sharia are the main source of legislation.
Salafis have called for amending the provision to “Sharia is the main source of legislation.”
But Christian religious leaders said the article should stay the way it is.
Article II of 1971 Constitution, which was copied into the current Constitutional Declaration, reads "Islam is the religion of the state. Arabic is its official language, and principles of Islamic jurisprudence (Sharia) are the main source of legislation." A 1979 amendment replaced "a main source" with "the main source."
Church leaders said the provision should have an additional part that states “non-Muslims shall resort to their rituals.”
Some legal experts argue that deleting the word "principles“ means Sharia will play a bigger role in drafting legislation.
Christians, who make up around 10 percent of the nation’s 82 million people, fear that having Sharia rather than its principles as the main source of legislation could mean restrictions on their religious freedoms.
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