(Maarivenglish.com) Daniel Pipes - Rather than a successful compromise, Iraq's interim constitution is a signal victory for militant Islam. First, the compromise suggests that while all of Sharia (Islamic law) may not be put into place, every law must conform with it. The new Iraq may not be Saudi Arabia or Iran, but it will include substantial portions of Islamic law. Second, the interim constitution appears to be only a way station. Islamists will surely try to gut its liberal provisions, thereby making Sharia effectively "the source" of Iraqi law. Iraq's leading militant Islamic figure, Muqtada al-Sadr, has threatened that his constituency will "attack its enemies" if Sharia is not "the source" and the pro-Tehran political party in Iraq has echoed Sadr's ultimatum. When the interim constitution does take force, militant Islam will have blossomed in Iraq. The occupying powers now face a monumental challenge: Making sure this totalitarian ideology does not dominate Iraq and become the springboard for a new round of repression and aggression from Baghdad.
2004-03-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive