August 24, 2005

1800+ Americans have died so Iraq could have a theocracy
by Liza Sabater

If Anti-War.com's asualties count in Iraq is correct, then 1871 Americans have died and an estimated 15000 - 42500 have been maimed or wounded so that Iraqis could put Islam above every single principle of democracy in their new constitution.

The following excerpts appear in Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Text of Proposed Iraq Constitution. You don't have to scan too closely the text to get that, after establishing Iraq's sovereignty (a protocol of all constitutions), it clearly puts Islam as the first and most important 'source of legislation' and, hence, government.

Chapter One

Article One

The Republic of Iraq is an independent state.

Article Two

The political system is republican, parliamentary, democratic and federal.

1. Islam is a main source for legislation.

- a. No law may contradict Islamic standards.

- b. No law may contradict democratic standards.

- c. No law may contradict the essential rights and freedoms mentioned in this constitution.

2. This constitution guarantees the Islamic identity of the Iraqi people and guarantees all religious rights; all persons are free within their ideology and the practice of their ideological practices.

3. Iraq is part of the Islamic world, and the Arabs are part of the Arab nation.

Should it shock us that a struggling theocracy has gone across the world to help establish another emerging theocracy --and one they can use for countless reasons to extend the war?

I am not an expert in Middle Eastern politics, but click on the link and read the whole text.

I am appalled they have included language in the constitution about ethnic and linguistic identities as well. Persia, of which Iran and Iraq were part of, was historically and culturally different from the 'Arab' world. And there were thriving Christian and Jewish communities in these countries before the ayatollahs and dictatorships. I cannot see how the language in this constitution can support democracy when it seeks to establish which cultural identities are the only official ones in the country.

And people in the blogosphere still think that identity politics is about the 'little' issues.

Posted by Liza Sabater in Christian Fundamentalism, Democracy, Extremists, Government, Iraq, Islam, Law, Religion, War
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