Tstate" and "a main source for legislation," the election commission announced Tuesday, October 25.
The constitution, which has been criticized by some Christian groups, also stipulates that "no law can be passed that contradicts the fixed principles of Islam’s rulings", although that is followed by "no law can be passed that contradicts basic rights and freedoms mentioned in this constitution."
Opponents of the constitution needed two-thirds of voters in three provinces to reject the document, and seriously delay the political process in Iraq. But electoral commission officials said 44% of voters in the key province of Nineveh had endorsed the constitution.
Two provinces voted "No" by the required margin, officials said, while 78% of voters reportedly backed the charter and 21% opposed it in the vote on October 15. Approval of the constitution clears the way for elections to a new Iraqi parliament in December.
CHALDOASSYRIAN CHRISTIANS CONCERNED
However ChaldoAssyrian Christians in Iraq, the main Christian minority in the country, are
"gravely worried by the draft constitution," the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA) quoted Yonadam Kanna, a member of the Iraqi National Assembly as saying.
Kanna, an Assyrian Christian, founded Iraq’s leading Christian political party, the Assyrian Democratic Movement (ADM).
He reportedly said he was concerned that "no law can be passed that contradicts the undisputed rules of Islam."
In remarks published by AINA he stressed there were "a lot of positive things about rights in the constitution, but there are still double standards. It was more influenced by two main groups, the Shia religious groups and the Kurdish groups, and the language of the constitution must not be monopolized by them."
PREAMBLE CRITICIZED
Church leaders have also criticized the preamble of the constitution as it allegedly fails to recognize ChaldoAssyrians as the indigenous people of Iraq and does not mention any non-Islamic religion as preceding Islam in Iraq.
"They speak about the history of the country, but neglect our grandfathers’ history of Babylonians and Assyrians. When they speak about the persecutions of Saddam Hussein, they just quote Arabs and Turks," added Kanna.
He and other leaders suggest the constitution overlooks that their religious minority dates back in Iraq as early as the time of Prophet Jonah, who the Bible claims brought the message of repentance to the town of Nineveh, around what is now known as Mosul.
MANY LEFT IRAQ
About one million ChaldoAssyrians — 95 per cent of Iraq’s Christians — remain in Iraq, following an exodus of half a million under Iraq’s leader Saddam Hussein said AINA. Other organizations estimate there are roughly 750,000 Christians still staying in Iraq.
At least tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians are known to have left the country since the fall of the regime, as many believers became targets of Islamic terror attacks, human rights groups claim.
Christian rights group Open Doors has said it was important that under the new constitution "the Christian community has freedom to worship and [be] a voice."
Carl A. Moeller, the USA President of Open Doors also warned that "if Christians are marginalized even more, there could be another mass exodus from the country," at a time of nearly daily deadly attacks against Iraqi civilians, including Christians.
BLAST KILLS 20
In one such incident at least 20 people were reportedly killed by three massive car bombs late Monday, October 24, that exploded close to a hotel complex used by western journalists and contractors in Baghdad.
The attack was aimed at taking over the Palestine and Sheraton hotels and holding foreign and Arab journalists as hostages, Iraqi security officials told media. Yet some church leaders hope the new constitution will at least lead to more stability and perhaps peace.
"This constitution is certainly not perfect, especially for Christians and Kurds," admitted Chaldean bishop Rabban al-Qas in the town of Amadiyah in the Kurdish controlled area of Iraq. "However it is the best thing we have so far," he told the Catholic oriented news website AsiaNews.
"I hope Kurdistan will be able to contribute to putting there what is now missing, for example, greater guarantees for Christians," he was quoted as saying, a reference to Kurdish authorities and parties in the area bordering Turkey. (With BosNewsLife Research, BosNewsLife News Center and reports from Iraq).
