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Sistani aide backs freedom
An aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, Iraqâs most influential Shiite Muslim cleric, said even in an Islamic state, people should be free to drink alcohol or women to wear veils. Err, what about the women who donât want to wear veils?
That would be the "One Man, One Vote, One Time" policy. You donât get to vote to disband a islamic state once you have one. Iraqi leaders agreed early yesterday to the interim constitution that would serve as the framework for the government through next year, Iraqi officials said. Even before the hard bargaining began, there was agreement on many of its features, including the freedom of speech, press, assembly and the free exercise of religion. The constitution provides for equal treatment under the law, regardless of sex or ethnicity. It also provides for civilian control over the military. Sounds good, itâs the implementation part that gets tricky. "This document protects the rights of individuals more than any other document in the region," said Feisal al-Istrabadi, an Iraqi-American lawyer who helped draft it. It wouldnât take much to do that. The Governing Council members reached compromise language on several difficult issues, the Iraqi officials said. Islam was to be designated "a source" of legislation, not "the primary source," as had been demanded by several Muslim members. That compromise was finessed when Iraqi leaders agreed to insert language prohibiting the passage of any legislation "against" Islam, Mr Qanbar said. Theyâll be arguing about the definition of "against" for years. In another important compromise, Iraqi officials agreed to allow thousands of Kurdish militiamen to hold on to their arms as part of a "national guard" under the command of regional governments, he said. Well, itâs not like they were going to lay them down anytime this century. Posted by: Steve 2004-03-01 |
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