Islamist elected to head Egypt constitution panel amid withdrawals by leftists and liberals.

A protester holds up a placard, which reads: “We did not die for the Brotherhood to write the constitution”.


Islamist elected to head Egypt constitution panel amid withdrawals by leftists and liberals.(ALArabiya).Members of a controversial panel tasked with drafting Egypt’s new constitution on Wednesday elected Muslim Brotherhood member Saad al-Katatni -- currently the speaker of parliament-- to head the committee. The appointment comes following a series of withdrawals from the constituent assembly by liberal, leftist and independent figures who accuse Islamists of monopolizing the process that will deliver the post-revolution charter. Writing the constitution requires “wisdom and political responsibility, away from partisan gains,” Katatni told the constituent assembly tasked with drafting the new constitution, in a session aired live on television.
His election comes hours after Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional court announced it was withdrawing its representative, Ali Awad Saleh, from the constituent assembly, casting further doubt over its legitimacy. Since the formation of the 100-member constituent assembly on Sunday, nearly two dozen high profile figures have pulled out, while a court is set to rule on the panel’s validity on April 10.
On Tuesday Egyptian liberals and leftists wary of Islamist dominance of an assembly drafting a new constitution said they would write their own, deepening a row overshadowing a major element of the transition from President Hosni Mubarak’s rule.
Mostafa El Gendy, a liberal and a member of the Revolution Continues group, told Reuters: “The constitution is for all Egyptians, to be participated in by all Egyptians.” The Muslim Brotherhood disputes accusations that Islamists dominate the Constitutional Assembly, saying it contains 48 Islamists, 36 from parliament and 12 from outside. Their opponents say a score of other members have Islamist leanings. The Brotherhood, founded in 1928, has said the criticism amounts to an attempt by the minority to impose its will on an elected majority. “Thirty million people elected those MPs. How come they shouldn’t be part of the assembly?” asked Abdel Khaleq al-Sherif, a member of the Brotherhood’s advisory council.
Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the military council ruling Egypt since Mubarak was toppled, met politicians on Tuesday to try to resolve the crisis, an army official said. The military council is due to hand power to a new president at the end of June, completing a transition to civilian rule.Hafez Abou Saeda, head of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, who was among the crowd, said: “It (the assembly) poses great danger because it means two parties with Islamist orientations will divide amongst themselves the constitution, meaning they can restrict rights and freedoms. “They can seek to implement a system of government that gives more powers to the majority party, turning our system from a presidential one to a parliamentary one which leads to control of the upper and lower houses of parliament and the government.” Hmmmm........Trust the Obama 'Administration' to ignore Congressional laws and give these extremists $ 3Billion in Arms and financial aid.Read the full story here.