Decius wrote:

I don't think you can have a democracy with an establishment of religion. If the law is the law of god, then to question it is heresy. If you cannot question the law you cannot decide whether or not you agree with it, and you cannot express choices at a ballot box that you are not allowed to make.

Exactly my point Tom. Yes we have morality in the US. Yes we have limits on our freedoms in the US (see canonical shouting the a crowded theatre example). With a few minor changes, this constitution is almost identical to the US's constitution.

Ultimately the difference between the US and the new Iraq are where limits on freedoms are drawn. In the US these views change often (prohibition, segregation, privacy, decency, etc). For Iraq, these views can never conflict with Islam. Furthermore, the only people even allowed to make a judgement and possibly change the status quo are constitutionally required to be Islam scholars.

What it comes down to is Iraq is subservient to Islam. All these constitutional freedoms and recognition of rights are just lip service. How radical this Islam will be remains to be seen.

RE: Text of the draft Iraqi Constitution