CAIRO: Most of Egypt's prominent political powers including Islamic groups agreed on Wednesday on a charter of constitutional principles proposed by Al-Azhar as slong as it is advisory not binding. "This consensus over the charter allows it to be a guide while drafting the constitution," Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb said at the meeting. It would be “a charter of honor abided by all [voluntarily] … not imposed on anyone, but rather left to the popular demand that will inform the coming constitution," he added. The Freedom and Justice Party and Salafi leaders approved the charter, stressing that it is merely a "guide" for drafting the constitution, not a set of supra-constitutional principles. "This charter is a brief including all the charters that were previously proposed as general principles and a guide for drafting the new Egyptian constitution according to the will of the people," Mohamed Morsi, head of the Freedom and Justice Party, told journalists following the meeting. Salafi leader Abdel Moniem Al-Shahat said he approved the charter, albeit with some reservations including the interpretation of article 2 of the constitution. Article 2 states that Islam is the official religion and that Islamic Jurisprudence is the principle source of legislation. Al-Shahat told Daily News Egypt following the meeting that the Supreme Constitutional Court should be the only entity entitled to interpret this article. In case there is a legal dispute between a Muslim and a non-Muslim, the verdict should depend on Islamic legislation, he said, stressing that he wants this point to be added. Jews and Christians can refer to their own legislations, he added. "All these issues should be put into consideration, while drafting the new constitution," he said. He noted that Al-Azhar refrained from using the word “civil” state to avoid its interpretation as a “secular” state. Instead the charter stipulates a state based on democracy and governed by the constitution and laws. The FJB, however, had no reservations about the document. Essam El-Erian, deputy chairman of the party, told DNE that the party accepted the document as a whole. On the other hand, Mohamed Hamed, member of the Free Egyptians Party, believed the document had no weight unless it was binding to those drafting the new constitution. "Since all the political parties unanimously agree on this document, it should be obligatory in the constitution, not advisory," he said. "Otherwise it would lose its purpose." However, El-Sayed El-Badawy, head of Al-Wafd party, said he believed that the charter will be obligatory, since most of the political parties which will represent the people in parliament approved it. Presidential hopefuls also approved the charter including Amr Moussa, Ayman Nour, Mohamed ElBaradei and Abdallah Al-Ashaal and Mohamed Selim El-Awwa. "This charter turned the superficial and cosmetic disagreements between political powers into a general consensus that will be a guide in drafting the new constitution," Moussa said. The consensus is on how Egypt “will be in the future,” ElBaradei said. "There are no differences on the state's identity," he added. "We must remember that we are partners and protectors of this country."
