U.S. Iraqi Catholics say new constitution violates religious freedom

Published: 2005-11-01

EL CAJON, Calif. (CNS) -- Iraq's Constitution contradicts its guarantee of religious freedom by requiring civil laws to conform to provisions of Islamic law, according to Iraqi Catholics in the U.S. and abroad. In an Oct. 15 referendum, the constitution was approved by a majority in 16 of Iraq's 18 provinces. The document establishes a federal parliamentary democracy, administered by executive, legislative and judicial bodies. The agreement of civil laws with Islamic law, as the constitution mandates, would be unjust for all citizens, including Muslims, said Chaldean Bishop Sarhad V. Jammo of St. Peter the Apostle Eparchy in El Cajon. For example, Muslims who convert to other faiths can be killed, according to the Quran, he said. "If that becomes civil law, where is the freedom?" The Quran does not recognize women as equal to men, Bishop Jammo told Catholic News Service. According to the Quran, schools must be segregated by gender. A husband can divorce his wife, but a woman cannot divorce her husband. And if a Christian parent becomes a Muslim, the children must also join the Muslim religion, he said.

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