The Libyan Transitional National Council (TNC) has issued a draft of a new constitution which has Islamic law as its foundation. 

According to the document issued by the TNC, Islam will be the state religion and the principal source of legislation will be the sharia (Islamic law).

The clause is in Part 1, Article 1: “Libya is an independent democratic state wherein the people are the source of authorities. The city of Tripoli shall be the capital of the state. Islam is the religion of the state and the principal source of legislation is Islamic jurisprudence (sharia). Arabic is its official language while preserving the linguistic and cultural rights of all components of the Libyan society. The state shall guarantee for non-Muslims the freedom of practicing religious rights and shall guarantee respect for their systems of personal status.”

The rest of the draft constitution describes the country’s future political institutions and includes the rule of law, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and a multi-party electoral system.

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