Fatwa on Iraq's New Constitution (Issued by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani)

NNN0LHI

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Mon Mar-08-04 02:54 PM
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Fatwa on Iraq's New Constitution (Issued by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani)

Edited on Mon Mar-08-04 02:55 PM by NNN0LHI

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2624293

Iraq�s Governing Council signed a landmark interim constitution today, a key step in US plans to hand power to the Iraqis by July 1.

But Iraq�s top Shiite cleric issued a fatwa religious ruling criticising the document, signalling that a dispute that delayed the signing was not dead. snip

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani issued a fatwa on his Web site saying the document �will not gain legitimacy except after it is endorsed by an elected national assembly.�

Al-Sistani also made clear his reservations about the document. �This law places obstacles in the path of reaching a permanent constitution for the country that maintains its unity, the rights of its sons of all sects and ethnic backgrounds,� he said.

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NNN0LHI

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Mon Mar-08-04 03:40 PM
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1. kick

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robcon

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Mon Mar-08-04 04:03 PM
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2. I agree with Sistani

No constitution written by a few elites has any legitimacy until it is ratified by an elected legislature. That's pretty tame announcement for a 'fatwa.'

Of course, it has to ratified. More importantly, it has to be a document that is respected by the future government of Iraq, and that's not a given.

I think it's a great step in the right direction, but it's only the first step.

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louis-t

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Mon Mar-08-04 04:12 PM
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3. Iraq's new constitution will be cast aside...

as soon as the Muslim clerics gain control in Iraq. They will say it is against the laws of Islam and dismantle it. Just my opinion.

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daleo

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Mon Mar-08-04 04:21 PM
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4. Article 7 will be tough to implement

"A) Islam is the official religion of the State and is to be considered a source of legislation. No law that contradicts the universally agreed tenets of Islam, the principles of democracy, or the rights cited in Chapter Two of this Law may be enacted during the transitional period. This Law respects the Islamic identity of the majority of the Iraqi people and guarantees the full religious rights of all individuals to freedom of religious belief and practice. "

There could be insurmountable contradictions in this one ('tenets of Islam' and 'principles of democracy' are both vague phrases, even with the best of intentions on everyone's part, which is doubtful here).

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