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Draft Constitution May Strip Iraqi Women of Basic Human Rights
Iraq's parliament received a draft of the country's constitution but delayed a vote for three days on the highly contested document to win support from Sunni leaders. The document stipulates Islam is the official religion of Iraq, and is a fundamental source for legislation. We go to Baghdad to speak with Iraqi feminist Yanar Mohammed.
Iraq's parliament received a draft of the country's constitution less than five minutes before a midnight deadline on Monday, but delayed a vote for three days on the highly contested document to win support from Sunni leaders.
The delay came despite the requirement in the country's interim constitution that the document be completed by a deadline, which already had been extended a week.
At the heart of the dispute was the decision to largely exclude Sunni leaders from the talks on the constitution. When the Sunnis were finally brought into the negotiations on Monday afternoon, they promptly rejected several of the constitution's most fundamental provisions.
The principal unresolved issue is whether to allow a large Shiite-dominated autonomous region in southern Iraq, which also contains the largest oil fields. The two other main disputes are whether members of the Baath Party would be barred from working in government and how the president and prime minister would be selected.
The coalition of Shiites and Kurds, which holds a heavy majority in parliament, could easily approve the constitution on its own. Sunnis hold virtually no parliamentary seats after boycotting the January elections. But Sunni constitutional delegates warned that civil war could erupt if the charter becomes law over their objections.
U.S. officials reportedly played a major role in the drafting of the document. Monday's outcome was welcomed in Washington. In a written statement, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, "The process by which Iraqis have reached this point is historic and in the best tradition of democracy."
But Iraq analyst Juan Cole writes today, "The rule of law is no longer operating in Iraq, and no pretence of constitutional procedure is being striven for. In essence, the prime minister and president have made a sort of coup, simply disregarding the interim constitution."
The draft constitution that was submitted stipulates Islam is the official religion of Iraq, and is a fundamental source for legislation and that no law can contradict the principles of Islam. Women's groups are warning that the new constitution could strip women of many basic human rights.
* Yanar Mohammed, Director of The Organization of Women's Freedom (OWFI) in Iraq. She participated in a protest yesterday along with dozens of other Iraqi women.
LISTEN ONLINE
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/23/1321218
The delay came despite the requirement in the country's interim constitution that the document be completed by a deadline, which already had been extended a week.
At the heart of the dispute was the decision to largely exclude Sunni leaders from the talks on the constitution. When the Sunnis were finally brought into the negotiations on Monday afternoon, they promptly rejected several of the constitution's most fundamental provisions.
The principal unresolved issue is whether to allow a large Shiite-dominated autonomous region in southern Iraq, which also contains the largest oil fields. The two other main disputes are whether members of the Baath Party would be barred from working in government and how the president and prime minister would be selected.
The coalition of Shiites and Kurds, which holds a heavy majority in parliament, could easily approve the constitution on its own. Sunnis hold virtually no parliamentary seats after boycotting the January elections. But Sunni constitutional delegates warned that civil war could erupt if the charter becomes law over their objections.
U.S. officials reportedly played a major role in the drafting of the document. Monday's outcome was welcomed in Washington. In a written statement, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, "The process by which Iraqis have reached this point is historic and in the best tradition of democracy."
But Iraq analyst Juan Cole writes today, "The rule of law is no longer operating in Iraq, and no pretence of constitutional procedure is being striven for. In essence, the prime minister and president have made a sort of coup, simply disregarding the interim constitution."
The draft constitution that was submitted stipulates Islam is the official religion of Iraq, and is a fundamental source for legislation and that no law can contradict the principles of Islam. Women's groups are warning that the new constitution could strip women of many basic human rights.
* Yanar Mohammed, Director of The Organization of Women's Freedom (OWFI) in Iraq. She participated in a protest yesterday along with dozens of other Iraqi women.
LISTEN ONLINE
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/23/1321218
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