Issues in Dispute for Iraq Constitution (Iraq's name, language, religion)

[DeepModem Mom]

LAT/AP:
Issues in Dispute for Iraq Constitution
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer


BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The role of Islam and even Iraq's future name are among the issues that remain in dispute only two weeks before the deadline for parliamentary approval of the new constitution, committee members drafting the document said Saturday....

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Kurdish legislator Hussein Mohammed Taha, detailing the disputed issues, said Kurds and Shiites agree that Iraq should become a federal state while Sunni Arabs object, fearing it could lead to the division of the country.

"There is a group that wants Iraq to be called `The Iraqi Islamic Federal Republic,' while the other wants it called the `Iraqi Federal Republic' and another group rejects both names," Taha said.

Another problem is whether the official language of Iraq should be Arabic alone or Arabic and Kurdish, he added....

***

A serious point of disagreement appears to be the role of Islam in the state. Shiites, who make up about 60 percent of Iraq's estimated 27 million people, want Islam to be the main source of legislation, while the Kurds want it to be one of the sources -- as it is in the interim constitution approved before the Americans restored Iraqi sovereignty in June 2004....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/ats-ap_top14jul30,0,1558254.story

[Maple]

1. Oh, you mean

they're just down to the small things now hmmm? :D

[DeepModem Mom]

2. Yep -- if it weren't so tragic, it would be quite a hoot! nt

[jody]

3. Islam plays a bigger in the interim constitution than the article says.

LAW OF ADMINISTRATION FOR THE STATE OF IRAQ FOR THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD
QUOTE
Article 7.
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.
UNQUOTE