Christian Group Concerned About New Constitution's Stance on Religious Freedom

April 12, 2004

Source: crosswalk.com

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1256254.html?view=print

On April 12, 2004 crosswalk.com posted a CNS News article that reported, "Iraqi Christians are concerned that the new Iraqi interim constitution may or may not provide freedom of worship and religion to non-Muslim Iraqis, a Christian group says. The constitution, signed on March 8 by all 25 members of the Iraqi governing council, has been hailed as progressive by Middle East standards. But Paul Cooke, advocacy manager for the British-based Barnabus Fund, described the constitution as 'very ambiguous' in regards to religious freedom. 'What was positive was the stress on the individual,' Cooke said. What was negative, on the other hand, he said was that like in so many Islamic countries, the 'back door' is left open to curtail those individual freedoms."