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Iraqi Lawmakers Present Draft of Constitution

HeadlineAug 23, 2005

In Iraq, confusion is running high over the status of the country’s new constitution. On Monday–just minutes before midnight–Shiite leaders presented the Parliament with a draft of the constitution. Midnight was the deadline for the new constitution to be written. Then the speaker of the Parliament announced that a vote wouldn’t be held for another three days. It remains unclear if any Sunni politicians will support the document. On Monday Sunnis rejected several of the constitution’s most fundamental provisions including the decision to allow a large Shiite-dominated autonomous region in the oil-rich southern portion of Iraq. One Sunni politician warned that approving the constitution as written could lead to civil war. 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. We’ll go to Baghdad in a few minutes to speak with Iraqi feminist Yanar Mohammad.

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