Iraqi council OKs bill of rights

Washington Times ^ | March 2, 2004 | Willis Witter

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

BAGHDAD

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

BAGHDAD — A bill of rights with clearly defined protections for women, religious groups and ethnic minorities — a rarity in the Arab world — won unanimous backing yesterday from the 25-member Iraqi Governing Council as part of a temporary constitution to take effect when the U.S.-led rule formally ends June 30.

      "We got it," Mr. Bremer said yesterday, paraphrasing his statement, "We got him," when announcing in December that Saddam Hussein had been caught.

    Members of the council, who are to sign the document at a ceremony tomorrow, called it a turning point in Iraq's history and perhaps in the entire Middle East. 

    "We won the battle against dictatorship, and today, we took the first step on the path of freedom and democracy," said Younadem Kana, who was chosen to represent Iraq's 1 million-member Christian community and was the only non-Muslim member of the council. 

    "This is the birth of a new Iraq," said council member Mouwafak al-Rabii, a Shi'ite Muslim physician, author and human rights activist. 

    The document, known as the "fundamental law," is to serve as an interim constitution until an elected legislature is in place and able to write a permanent one. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The biggest news out of the Middle East this week, in spite of EFAD efforts to distract, destroy, deceive.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Bad days for the bad guys!

 

[TomGuy]

A bill of rights with clearly defined protections for women

But Hillary said..........

[RonF]

• A call for a legislature with at least 25 percent women, not with direct quotas, but by requiring undefined future legislation that would make the 25 percent goal a tough target to miss.

• A bill of rights guaranteeing freedom of speech, assembly, religion and due process.

• A ban on any measure that is contrary to Islam.

Of course, there will be many who will use point 3 to try to get rid of points 1 and 2. Should be interesting. I'm getting the idea that the majority in Iraq want a secular state. We'll see if they can get one. Reminds me of what happened when Benjamin Franklin was asked by a female bystander about what kind of government the U.S. was getting out of the Constitutional debates: "A republic, madam, if you can keep it."

[blackie]

We are winning ~ the bad guys are losing ~ trolls, terrorists and the democrats are sad ~ very sad!

~~ Bush/Cheney 2004 ~~

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

Hope their council does'nt learn that you only protect the rights of minorities like ours does!

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

Hope their council does'nt learn that you only protect the rights of minorities like ours does!

[Robert_Paulson2]

• A bill of rights guaranteeing freedom of speech, assembly, religion and due process.
• A ban on any measure that is contrary to Islam.

---

and you nailed it on what's up.
the last item WILL be used to undermine all else, as Islam DEMANDS on its very face, to be supreme. period.

the third item, disallows the second in entirety.
To guarantee that this "rejection" of western culture happens, there will of necessity be a ruling islamic council that determines what is and is NOT "islamic" enough to pass muster.

The third item will be used to justify a sharia review of all laws. I guarandamntee you that this is the intent and apriori foundation of the entire agreement in the mind of the majority religious leaders of the STATE of Iraq... all islamic.

Had we NOT allowed a supremely Islamic control of the entire nation, there would be NO agreement. We have not liberated the nation, until islam is put on the same exact shelf as any other ideology... jewish christian buddhist or agnostic athieism...

I do NOT see this as a victory.
but only time will tell.
I wonder how many americans believe that the islamakazis WONT use this "ban on anything contrary to islam" clause, to stop any revision of the islamic nutjob mullah's "status quo"?

Who among us believes that the muslims in Iraq's government WON'T use this condition to negate any western, democratic influences that we WANTED in the first place?

This agreement is worthless with that item in place.
I see it as a bald faced failure... a phony, thinly-veiled coup d'etat of the American attempt to create a real, non sectarian democracy... it's not a success. It's a failure.

Islam as a political force must be eradicated in the middle east. It's blood letting requirements alone make it inconsistant with ANY aspect of democratic self-rule, and individual rights.

[Allegra]

"We won the battle against dictatorship, and today, we took the first step on the path of freedom and democracy," said Younadem Kana, who was chosen to represent Iraq's 1 million-member Christian community and was the only non-Muslim member of the council.

"This is the birth of a new Iraq," said council member Mouwafak al-Rabii, a Shi'ite Muslim physician, author and human rights activist.

Big steps forward. You won't hear it in CNN, but the majority of the people are quite delighted with the changes that are slowly taking place and they know full well who is responsible for that.

They say glowing things about "Mr. Boosh."

[Allegra]

"in CNN" = "on CNN..."

Depleted brain cells due to sleep deprivation...

[Solson]

The clauses will provide for an argument. On one hand, your point...that clause 3 means clause 2 is pointless. However, the Kurds and those who want freedom will determine that clause 2 means point 3 is pointless and without merit.

Thus, we will see a debate between ordinary Iraqis trying to figure out the best way to handle their government. It's a beautiful thing!

Our goal here is to provide the Iraqi's with a framework which will allow them to begin to stand on their own yet still allow them to determine their own fate. This constitution and this plan does exactly that.

Bremer, Bush and company have really done a tremendous and historical thing in creating this constitution.

It is historic...yet unknown in America because the media refuses to discuss it. As far as Islam being eradicated in the Middle East...not only is this not realistic is shows a lack of understanding of Islam. Democracy and Islam can co-exist.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thanks for the eye-witness insight, Allegra.

Thank goodness for the internet!

Americans (and the world) fed on AP newswires are generally misled about the cause of the war, the progress being made by our troops, civilians, Coalition and Iraqis - and about the views of the Iraqi people.

Stay safe!

[Lloyd227]

Anyone found an online English translation of this constitution yet? I'd like to read what it actually says....