Tunisia opts for civil, not Sharia law as assembly votes on new constitution
Tunisia has rejected Islam as the source of its laws, with the country’s Islamist-dominated constituent assembly voting to adopt new articles amid fears that ongoing disagreements may derail the constitution altogether.
The country that in 2011 gave birth to the Arab Spring has adopted new articles in its upcoming constitution, the first two of which state that Tunisia is a “civil” republic based on the rule of law, but with Islam remaining as its state religion. After Saturday’s vote, 12 of the 146 articles discussed have now been adopted.
The articles received harsh criticism from opponents, some of them believing that an absence of Islam from the legal framework would open the door to “Satanism and idolatry.” In fact, the assembly, which was set up in 2011 to establish a new constitution after the uprising that removed the then-president, Zine el-Abdine Ben Ali, was plagued by so much infighting that there are fears that the January 14 deadline for ratifying the new constitution would not be met, AFP reported.
Although a secular country during the former president’s rule, months of violent political unrest and assassinations opened the door for new ideas on how the country should be run. But Saturday’s vote put that on hold, retaining Islam’s position only as a moral – not legal – authority.
http://rt.com/news/tunisia-rejects-islam-law-196/
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