What's up with the Iraqi government these days?

Some very odd headlines coming out of the Iraqi government today.  I know everyone's under a lot of pressure, and the situation is exceedingly ugly (except for visiting Americans in the Potemkin Zone), but....

Al-Arabiya reports, based on a story in the Iraqi newspaper al-Sabah, that the permanent Iraqi constitution will declare Islam the official religion of Iraq and the fundamental source [al-masdar al-issasi] of legislation.  That seems stronger than the latest version I had heard, which would have had it "a source", not "the fundamental source". 

Al-Hayat reports that the draft constitution will not allow Jews of Iraqi origin to reclaim their citizenship, contrary to a widespread rumour dating back to the TAL. 

Elaph and al-Hayat both report the Iraqi Defense Minister lashing out against Kuwait, warning it against "unwise actions" along the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border.  Iraqi - Kuwaiti border disputes!  Is this 1990?

And finally... I'm sure I'm not the first to note this similarity... but really: Ibrahim Dukakis. 

UPDATE:  Iraq the Model provides a loose translation of key parts of the draft constitution as published in al-Sabah.  They don't like it.  Here's a link to the draft constitution in al-Sabah (in Arabic). 

Comments

[Nur al-Cubicle]

about that border dispute with Kuwait...

L'Orient-Le Jour reported that the Kuwaitis are building a concrete and metal barrier along their 200 km long border with Iraq. The trouble is, the wall is 100 meters inside Iraqi territory.

[Nur al-Cubicle]

And thanks for fuzzy-faced mugshot of the "Duke" of the Desert!

[Avshalom Rubin]

AA - Doesn't the Egyptian consitution state the exact same thing with regard to the role of Islam (e.g. official religion, basis of legislation)? I know Moroccan, Algerian, and Jordanian constitutions define Islam as the official state religion, though I'm not sure if it is THE stated basis of legislation. In any case, it seems like this clause puts the Iraqi constitution within the Arab mainstream. It's not exactly Jeffersonian, but given the regional context, is it really all that odd?

[the aardvark]

Avshalom - The key is whether Islam is "a" source or "the" source of legislation - "al-masdar al-assasi" seems to imply "the" source. That's why it caught my eye, and why al-Arabiya used it as the lead. How much is actually there, and how much is sensationalism, I'm not sure.

[Mohamed]

Sounds like good stuff.

[Francois]

Here's a complementary blog site for you to read:
http://aboulhol.blogspot.com/

[The Lounsbury]

You can consult the Moroccan constitution in French here:
http://www.mcrp.gov.ma/constitution/texteconstit.htm

Or here in Arabic:
http://www.mcrp.gov.ma/constitution_ar/Constit_ar1996.htm

(And for legalistic nerdish types, you may make comparisions from this menu:
http://www.mcrp.gov.ma/ )

There is no direct citation to Islamic law, although the Kingdom is called an Islamic nation (or Muslim in the French version), I note as well the Arabisation clause.

[Avshalom Rubin]

Collunsbury - thanks very much for the links.