The desperate fight for Egypt’s soul

Amir Taheri

A year after Hosni Mubarak was forced out of power, many Egyptians feel that the real fight over their country’s future is just beginning.

For decades, the army-led regime kept Egypt frozen; now all options are open, both good and bad. Which to pick is the question facing a 100-member commission formed to write a new constitution.

The commission consists of 50 members appointed by the newly elected parliament and 50 others chosen for their legal and academic expertise.

Of the 50 parliamentarians, 25 belong to the Muslim Brotherhood, while its more radical Islamist rival, the Salafist an-Nour (Light), has 11. The remaining 14 are from secular parties.

At risk: Protesters in Cairo stand behind a poster of a silenced woman.

Even before its first meeting, the commission has run into trouble, with secular parties threatening a boycott. They claim the Islamists have rigged the process in order to turn Egypt into an “emirate” based on sharia, or Islamic law.