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Is Iraq moving, inch by inch, towards becoming an Islamic republic? it is a prospect that is as unsettling for many Iraqis as it is for George Bush in the White House. Under Saddam Hussein, Iraq was a centralised and largely secular state. Now, if the Shia religious parties get their way, it will be a decentralised state with a pronounced Islamic identity. The draft of the new constitution describes Islam as "a main source" of legislation and stipulates that no law may contradict Islamic principles. It also says a group of provinces is entitled to form a "region", which can then expect a specified share of the national budget. George Bush, meanwhile, is faced with some unpalatable choices. He is determined to stick to a tight political timetable which would enable him to start withdrawing US troops from Iraq next year. But will his rush to come up with an "exit strategy" force him to abandon the aspiration to create a modern secular democracy out of the ashes of the Saddam dictatorship?

The Times; Friday 26/8/05

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