CAIRO: The decision of the Political Parties Affairs Committee to turn down the license of Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya's Building and Development Party is politicized, leader of the group's Shoura Council and founder Tarek Al-Zomor told Daily News Egypt on Monday. "Our program directly states that Islamic Sharia is the main source of legislation in accordance with article two of the governing constitutional declaration and according to the general consensus of the Egyptian people, and implementing hudud is part of Islamic legislation," Al-Zomor said. Hudud, Arabic for “limits”, refers to the Islamic penal code where extreme interpretations of Sharia support the stoning of adulterers, for example. "According to an explanation issued by the Higher Supreme Constitutional Court, applying the principles of Islamic Sharia mentioned in article two includes the implementation of hudud," Al-Zomor claimed. The modified Political Parties Law 40 for 1977 bans in section three of its fourth article the establishment of religious parties. According to media reports, the committee said that its decision was due to the strict religious nature of the party's program, unlike other Islamist political parties that claim a religious frame of reference. The Salafi Al-Noor Party referred in its program to the implementation of the principles of Sharia in accordance with the second article of the constitution. "Complying with the second article of the constitution means considering Sharia as the ultimate reference politically, socially, economically and legally," the program of the Salafi party dictates, yet without specifically mentioning the implementation of hudud. "There is a general consensus on the implementation of Sharia among all Islamic parties," Al-Zomor said. He said that the party's founding members will appeal the Committee's decision before the Supreme Administrative Court. "Whether or not the party is licensed, Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya is going to contest the elections, even if it means our candidates will run as independents," Al-Zomor added.
