In constitution debate, Al-Azhar gets high praise from church leaders

Al-Masry Al-Youm 12/07/2012 Coptic Orthodox Church representatives serving on the Constituent Assembly have welcomed a proposal that would enshrine Islam as the state religion but also protect the right of Christians and Jews to follow their religious codes. Article 2 of the new constitution would be much like that of the 1971 Constitution, stating that “Islam is the religion of the state, and Arabic is its official language, and the principles of Islamic Sharia are the main source for legislation.” But the assembly tasked with drafting the new charter is considering adding a line that reads, “Christians and Jews shall resort to legislation derived from their own religions.” Edward Ghaleb, secretary of the secular Millet Council that runs the Orthodox Church’s administrative affairs and member of the Constituent Assembly, praised the role Al-Azhar played in drafting an article acceptable to all parties. Evangelical leader Safwat al-Bayady expressed hope that the proposal would be accepted by the required majority in the assembly.