Islamic law rejected in Tunisia's new constitution
Tunisia will make Islam its state religion, but maintain a civil legal code
Tunisia's Islamist-dominated constituent assembly compromised in rejecting Islam as the main source of law as it voted on a new constitution for the country that spawned the Arab Spring.
But while it established Islam as the state religion, it promised freedom of conscience, despite one MP warning that "Satanists" and "idolaters" would be practicing in public and criticism by a rights group it was too vague.
Saturday's sitting of the National Constituent Assembly, which has adopted 12 out of 146 articles, came amid concerns a January 14 deadline for the charter's approval could be overshot because of disruptions and the slow pace of deliberations.
The first two articles adopted, neither of which may be amended, establish Tunisia as a "civil" republic based on the rule of law and with Islam as its religion.
The assembly rejected amendments proposing Islam and the Koran and Sunna - the sayings and acts of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed - as "the principal source of legislation".
In what was a raucous session that had to be suspended at one point, Mohamed Hamdi of the small Current of Love party defended Islamic law, saying it would give "spiritual backing to all rights and liberties".