CAIRO: A number of Islamist powers rejected statements by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and his deputy Ali Al-Selmy about the issuance of supra-constitutional principles. The Islamists groups said this would be a run around people's will, accusing Sharaf of bias. The charter is to be released soon for national consensus before being announced in a constitutional declaration. If this happens, the groups said, they will consider an escalation. "We refuse any supra-constitutional principles except for a [non-binding] bill of principles that the constituent assembly might use as a guide in drafting the new charter … we already issued one version as part of the Democratic Alliance with the participation of 28 political parties," said Saad Al-Katatny, secretary-general of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP). "Sharaf can issue what he wants but the people said their word at the referendum. There is no need for it especially that everyone agrees on the civil state with an Islamic reference in drafting legislation," he added. Islamist powers including the Muslim Brotherhood, Salafis and Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya organized a mass protest on July 29 in Tahrir Square to reject calls for supra-constitutional principles and in support of applying Sharia. Most powers participating in the protest had agreed to avoid making any demands that don't enjoy consensus, including calls for or against the principals and implementation of Sharia. Supporters of Salafi groups, however, who outnumbered all Islamist groups, raised these banners. Al-Selmy's statement came after a meeting with a number of liberal powers and Sufi groups in which he persuaded them to cancel planned protests this Friday demanding a civil state. A number of groups and political parties decided Wednesday to postpone the protest for one week awaiting Cabinet's decisions. Al-Selmy, former assistant to Al-Wafd Party's chairman and head of its shadow government, said that the bill would be compiled from existing ones issued by political powers and presidential hopefuls. Cabinet doesn't have the authority to make legislation, Assem Abdel-Maged, spokesman of Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya, told Daily News Egypt. “It is turbulent in its actions and its statements can't be taken seriously; only the elected parliament has the right to issue such a thing. "This is an attempt to save their faces after the failure of the planned protest and the refusal of the Supreme Sufi Council to participate in it. To us, any such decisions will not be binding.” The Sharia Authority for Rights and Reform, a group comprising Azhar and Salafi scholars, said Wednesday it was shocked by Al-Selmy's statement. "Egyptians expressed their will in the referendum and confirmed it on July 29. Such a charter threatens the stability and social peace of the country," the statement read. The Popular Will Front, a coalition of Salafi groups, said that the decision is an irresponsible provocation to the Egyptian mainstream, especially the Islamist stream. "We refuse it first in form because no group, even if it gathered all political streams, has the right to announce principles that would be binding to Egyptians for years to come without a referendum; and second, in content because it contradicts the people's decision regarding the way the new constitution is drafted through an elected parliament," the statement said. "Any decision that doesn't respect people's will shall lead to mass public anger …We hope that no actions will be taken spontaneously to disrupt the political scene," it added. Youssry Hamad, spokesman of Al-Nour Salafi Party, described Al-Selmy's statement as "barefaced and unacceptable bias" from Sharaf if it turns out to be true. "As officials, they must separate their personal beliefs from their political action and should not engage in the political equation, or else they must bring all political powers together and if there is consensus over it, put it up for public vote," he said. "The liberal stream enjoyed partial freedom during the ousted regime's reign compared to the oppression we faced. We can't guarantee that if they come to power they will not treat us the same way Mubarak did," Hamad added. He, too, said escalation was an option in case the principals are approved.
