After an uprising toppled President Hosni Mubarak early last year, women and minorities hoped for a nation that would guarantee long-denied equal rights. But their pleas have gone unanswered as Egypt has shifted from military control to the conservative designs of a new Islamist president. Mostafa's death symbolizes for many women the prospect that civil rights would be further jeopardized by a new constitution.

Scores of Egyptians, with the support of 33 women's rights organizations, protested outside President Mohamed Morsi's palace last week against the proposed constitution, particularly Article 36, which says the state is "committed to providing all measures to ensure the equality of women with men, as long as those rights are not contradicting the laws of Islam," or sharia.

Overwhelmed by Islamist domination in the assembly drafting the constitution, liberals and moderates have repeatedly threatened to resign because they say the political body leans toward radical political Islam. A previous assembly was dissolved this year for failing to represent Egypt's diverse society, and a court decision expected Tuesday could again disband the body amid charges it has ignored women, Christians, youths and other groups.

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Filed under: * Culture-Watch • History • Law & Legal Issues • Religion & Culture • * Economics, Politics • Politics in General • * International News & Commentary • Middle East • Egypt • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Coptic Church • Other Faiths • Islam • Muslim-Christian relations

1. Katherine wrote: From the article: “We need to develop our civil society arguments,” rights advocate Abdelaal said. “This should have been happening a year and a half ago after the revolution, but it’s not too late.” I hope she’s right, but the secularists failed to organize and unite.  The situation of women was somewhat precarious before the revolution and now seems worse. October 8, 8:00 am | [comment link]

2. Tomb01 wrote: A democracy is typically defined by the majority…  Sorry, but this is not going to turn out the way the way we in the ‘West’ hoped. October 8, 10:47 pm | [comment link]

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