'Bill of rights' is right tack for a pluralistic Egypt

The bill of religious rights put forward by Egypt's Al Azhar University would do what the country's political process has so far failed to: uphold freedom of religion and expression. Faced with the prospect that Egypt is inching towards more religious rule, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar has waged a preemptive strike.

That such a move is necessary to protect the sanctity of the Egyptian constitution is as regrettable as it is welcome. With Salafist parties showing little interest in moderating their religious platform to help govern a pluralistic nation like Egypt, moderates have been forced to respond.

As The National reported yesterday, the proposed bill calls for safeguarding the right to religious belief and expression, and artistic freedom. The measure now is to be presented to the Parliament for consideration when it drafts a new constitution.

There is no guarantee the bill will impact the constitutional language, as Islamists won almost two thirds of parliamentary seats. Even still, recognition that safeguards are needed to protect minorities, especially from one of Sunni Islam's most important centres of scholarship, is encouraging.

Even if the bill shapes the constitution it will not be enough to protect freedoms most Egyptians favour. For one, it is hard to control groups that label others as infidels. Rather, this bill is a first step to protect worshippers - Muslim and Christian both - from policies or practices such as the demolition of places of worship deemed by extremists to be un-Islamic.

Al Azhar's influence, once sweeping, suffered under Hosni Mubarak as critics accused it of being too cosy with the autocratic regime. With Mr Mubarak gone the institute's widely-respected scholars are well positioned to play a bigger role in Egypt's future.

What shape that role takes is still to be determined. As one Salafi candidate said before the recent elections, issues such as destroying burial sites and mausoleums - which Salafis say are not compliant with Sharia - should be referred to Al Azhar for mediation. That Al Azhar seems willing to defend religious freedoms should offer some comfort to Egyptian moderates.

The proposed bill of rights will surely help build a legal framework that protects the rights of Egyptians from across the religious, political and social spectrums. But the real, long-term challenge is that of ideas. Whether extremism and despotism corrupt Egyptian society depends on the role played by intellectuals, moderate clerics and institutions like Al Azhar.