04 June 2012

Can Islamist parties and democracy mix?

.... One revealing session featured the leader of Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahda party, Rashid Ghannouchi. He described why, after his party’s victory, it chose not to seek revision of Article I of Tunisia’s constitution — a change that would have made sharia law the source of the country’s legal code.

Ennahda decided to accept the Article I language stating that Tunisia’s religion is Islam. Its leaders recognized that many Tunisians differ with Ennahda over referencing sharia and fear its misuse. So the party opted for consensus. Instead of pushing for Islamization, it agreed to implement Islamic values by developing a modern state. [Philly.com] Read more