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Tunisia debates religion's role in new constitution
Ruling party rejects calls to base laws on sharia.
Salafist protesters wave flags during a protest in front of the Tunisian TV headquarters in Tunis March 9, 2012. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
Recently, Tunisia's ruling Ennahda party rejected conservatives’ demands to make sharia the main source of legislation in the new constitution.
They chose instead to retain the first article of the current constitution, which states that "Tunisia is a free, sovereign and independent state, whose religion is Islam and language is Arabic."
So what role will religion play in post-revolutionary Tunisia? And is this debate over religion detracting from more pressing issues such as the economy?
In this episode of The Stream, we speak to Nejib Ayachi, founder and president of The Maghreb Center, and Yusra Ghannouchi, spokeswoman for the Ennahda Party.
What do you think? What role should religion play in the new constitution? Send us your thoughts and comments on Facebook or Twitter using hashtag #AJStream.
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