Egypt protests over draft constitution

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Tens of thousands of protesters staged a mass demonstration in Cairo after a draft constitution was agreed by an Islamist-led assembly.

Campaigners say the charter undermines the rights of women and religious minorities, as well as freedom of speech, while opponents of President Mohamed Morsi say it was rushed through to force an early referendum.

Mr Morsi, who is due to be handed the draft on Saturday, is expected to call for a referendum within two weeks.

The protests centred on Cairo’s Tahrir Square – the focal point of the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

The crowds chanted ‘down with the constitutional assembly’ and ‘the people want to bring down the regime’.

An opposition leaflet distributed in Tahrir urged protesters to stay into Saturday, when Mr Morsi’s supporters are due to stage their own demonstrations elsewhere in the capital.

There has been a sit-in in the square for a week since Mr Morsi issued a decree, placing his decisions beyond judicial review and giving himself sweeping powers, although he says these will expire once the constitution is ratified.

The decree also prevented the constitutional court from ruling on the legality of the Islamist-dominated assembly, as it was meant to do on Sunday.

The draft constitution was passed after a marathon session lasting almost 20 hours.

It retains the ‘principles of Islamic law’ as the main source of legislation, but a new clause setting out how these should be interpreted has been criticised by Egypt’s Christian minority.

The document also limits the president to eight years in office, after Mubarak served for three decades.

Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei dismissed the document, saying ‘its fate will be the dustbin of history’.

Joe Stork, Middle East director for Human Rights Watch, added: ‘Rushing through a draft while serious concerns about key rights protections remain unaddressed will create huge problems down the road that won’t be easy to fix.’

Meanwhile, several independent newspapers said they would not publish an edition on Tuesday in protest.

Two people have been killed and hundreds injured in protests since Mr Morsi issued the decree on November 22.

Sky News

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Comments

  1. I guess the guy in the photo is not the piano player.

    1. Prophettttt Avatar
      Prophettttt

      Couldn’t help it but LOL

      1.  How nice of the the two of u making fun of others misfortune. Shows such humanity

        1. FreetheME Avatar

          Like your one to talk Preview. Please try and practise what you preach

        2. Prophettttt Avatar
          Prophettttt

          Preview, Neither geo nor I , are the type that makes fun of people’s misfortune.Life is too short to take everything too seriously all the time.
          geo,knowing him very well, I can assure you  that He is the kind of guy who makes fun of himself every hour of the day before he makes fun of others, so for him to make this comment, it means that He had exhausted his talents ,and ran out of words mocking himself .lol. I personally could not help myself imagining geo,as funny as I know him to be, saying what He said in his comment. I can also assure you that libnan1 is as kind as any one can be too.Having exchanged with him for couple of years on this blog,I would vouch for him as well.Just because He loves Aoun,does not make him bad,and that should not make him a target,lol (I have my helmet on in case He attacks me now,and withdraws his invitation for me to attend his labor day party,lol)
           I understand your concern,but no harm was meant at all.You can imagine how sick and tired most of us are from what seems to be a useless debate on this blog.We read more insults and personal attacks than anything else that would make us understand each other’s point of views.

      2.  The poor guy can’t even scratch his balls.

      3. my bad, I meant guitar player,

         hey all the conflicts and bad news is depressing, my sick sense of humor is all I got left, at least I start by making fun of myself every morning when I look at the mirror, half lebanese half beagle 🙁
        in 2013 I plan on shaving my rear and learning to walk backwards lol

      4.  Prophettttt making fun of the handicapped is extremely bad taste. If one makes fun of oneself that is that person’s right but to make fun of another human being’s handicap is not humorous nor right.

      5.  Btw thank you for your kind and well mannered reply. You are right there are too many insults and personal attacks.

  2. I guess the guy in the photo is not the piano player.

    1. Prophettttt Avatar
      Prophettttt

      Couldn’t help it but LOL

      1.  How nice of the the two of u making fun of others misfortune. Shows such humanity

        1. FreetheME Avatar

          Like your one to talk Preview. Please try and practise what you preach

        2. Prophettttt Avatar
          Prophettttt

          Preview, Neither geo nor I , are the type that makes fun of people’s misfortune.Life is too short to take everything too seriously all the time.
          geo,knowing him very well, I can assure you  that He is the kind of guy who makes fun of himself every hour of the day before he makes fun of others, so for him to make this comment, it means that He had exhausted his talents ,and ran out of words mocking himself .lolI personally could not help myself imagining geo,as funny as I know him to be, saying what He said in his comment.I can assure you that libnan1 is as kind as any one can be too.Having exchanged with him for couple of years on this blog,I would vouch for him as well. I understand your concern,but no harm was meant at all.You can imagine how sick and tired most of us are from what seems to be a useless debate on this blog.We read more insults and personal attacks than anything else that would make us understand each other’s point of views.

      2.  The poor guy can’t even scratch his balls.

      3. my bad, I meant guitar player,

         hey all the conflicts and bad news is depressing, my sick sense of humor is all I got left, at least I start by making fun of myself every morning when I look at the mirror, half lebanese half beagle 🙁
        in 2013 I plan on shaving my rear and learning to walk backwards lol

      4.  Prophettttt making fun of the handicapped is extremely bad taste. If one makes fun of oneself that is that person’s right but to make fun of another human being’s handicap is not humorous nor right.

      5.  Btw thank you for your kind and well mannered reply. You are right there are too many insults and personal attacks.

    2. Prophettttt Avatar
      Prophettttt

      Couldn’t help it but LOL

  3.  FreetheME Actually i am one to talk. Please provide one example of where i have made fun of other people’s misfortune! Just one example, i don’t want to make your life too difficult. Otherwise keep quiet. 

  4.  FreetheME Actually i am one to talk. Please provide one example of where i have made fun of other people’s misfortune! Just one example, i don’t want to make your life too difficult. Otherwise keep quiet. 

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