Muslims petition Egypt not to include Shari‘a

Muslim and Coptic Christian leaders in the U.S. are calling on the Egyptian government to exclude any mentions of Islamic law or language that discriminates against minorities in its draft constitution.

In a letter released August 7, the leaders urge the constitution writers to “recognize the equality of all Egyptians and to reject any language that would discriminate against any citizen of Egypt on the basis of that citizen’s religion or gender.” Because Egypt is home to millions of Christians, attempts to describe Islamic law, or Shari‘a, as the source of the country’s law should also be rejected, the letter said.

Shari‘a is interpreted differently by various schools within Islam; some Muslims believe Shari‘a is a personal code that has no place in government, while in several Islamic countries—Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, Sudan and others—Shari‘a infuses national law.