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Dear Mr. Lowry,
I agree with you on this one. We should try for the best Constitution possible, but recognize that Iraq is a work in progress. Perhaps 20 or 100 years of partial democracy can bring about a slow change and growth among the Iraqi people. I shouldn’t have to point out that out own Constitution allowed slavery, counted slaves as 3/5ths of a person, and did not allow women to vote.
If Iraq the Model is correct, and they usually are, the draft constitution states that no law can be passed that goes against the values of Islam, and no law can be passed that goes against the values of democracy. That sounds like a good compromise, and what it means is that a whole generation of scholars will have to get to work reconciling Islamic thought with the basic tenets of democracy. And that, my friend, sounds like a very good thing indeed. Be of good cheer.