Source: Barnabas Aid, November 6, 2013
A 50-member body is amending the 2012 constitution, which was suspended following the removal of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July. His Islamist allies had dominated the constitutional assembly and pushed through that code, which threatened basic rights and freedoms and laid the foundations for Egypt to become an Islamic state, against the opposition of liberals and Christians.
A draft of the revised constitution is now being drawn up and has a distinctly more secular character.
Last week, a spokesperson for the constitutional committee said that the majority of members were in favor of absolute religious freedom. His statement followed a debate about whether or not the right should be restricted to the three Abrahamic religions (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism).
The committee also adopted a transitional article that will cancel existing restrictions regulating the building of churches.