Afghan constitution declares Islam official religion.A proposed constitution for Afghanistan declares that the country is "an Islamic Republic An Islamic republic, in its modern context, has come to mean several different things, some contradictory to others. Theoretically, to many religious leaders, it is a state under a particular theocratic form of government advocated by some Muslim religious leaders in the Middle " and that "the religion of Afghanistan is the sacred religion of Islam." The draft, released Nov. 3, contains no provision separating mosque and state, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a report from the Associated Baptist Press The Associated Baptist Press was founded in 1990 and is the first and only independent Baptist news agency in the United States. The ABP annually publishes over 600 news and feature stories. It is based in Jacksonville, Florida and has news bureaus in Washington, D.C. (ABP 1. (networking) ABP - Alternating bit protocol. 2. ABP - Microsoft Address Book Provider. ), and religious liberty gets minimal protection. A clause states, "Followers of other religions are free to perform their religious ceremonies within the limits of the provision of law." The draft says members of the country's highest court must uphold an oath "in the name of God Almighty to support justice and righteousness in accord with the provisions of the sacred religion of Islam and the provisions of this constitution and other laws of Afghanistan." Preeta Bansal, a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, told the ABP that the draft could allow for "a judicial theocracy theocracy Government by divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided. In many theocracies, government leaders are members of the clergy, and the state's legal system is based on religious law. Theocratic rule was typical of early civilizations. " in the country. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan hailed production of the constitutional proposal as "an important milestone in Afghanistan's political development." The draft will be debated next month by the country's grand council, called a loya jirga. |
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