Talk to Al Jazeera - Amr Darrag on Egypt's 'perfect' constitution
- 11 years ago
Egypt is in crisis - again. President Mohamed Morsi’s decree giving himself unlimited powers has brought thousands of Egyptians on to the streets. Morsi says his decree is temporary, aimed at preventing judges of the former dictatorship from disbanding the assembly writing the new constitution.
At the heart of the controversy lies the draft constitution.
Some groups feel the assembly that has written the current draft is dominated by Muslim groups. Already secularists, leftists, Christians and even the farmer and journalist syndicates have pulled out of the Egyptian Constituent Assembly. Some of them were hoping the courts would order a new assembly be formed, before the draft is issued.
Too late. The assembly beat the judges Friday morning. But it is not game over. It is not clear whether the protests will end even if Morsi’s unlimited powers are rescinded. And will people approve a document boycotted by so many factions when it goes to a referendum?
And there are questions about the content of the new constitution. Where is it taking the country? What does it say about human rights, the rights of women and minorities and the role of the military and Sharia law?
On Talk to Al Jazeera we speak to Amr Darrag, the secretary-general of the Constituent Assembly, a man who left his engineering background to help draft a new constitution for Egypt.
At the heart of the controversy lies the draft constitution.
Some groups feel the assembly that has written the current draft is dominated by Muslim groups. Already secularists, leftists, Christians and even the farmer and journalist syndicates have pulled out of the Egyptian Constituent Assembly. Some of them were hoping the courts would order a new assembly be formed, before the draft is issued.
Too late. The assembly beat the judges Friday morning. But it is not game over. It is not clear whether the protests will end even if Morsi’s unlimited powers are rescinded. And will people approve a document boycotted by so many factions when it goes to a referendum?
And there are questions about the content of the new constitution. Where is it taking the country? What does it say about human rights, the rights of women and minorities and the role of the military and Sharia law?
On Talk to Al Jazeera we speak to Amr Darrag, the secretary-general of the Constituent Assembly, a man who left his engineering background to help draft a new constitution for Egypt.