In Iraq, it appears legislators are drafting a new constitution that calls for Islam to be the main source of Iraqi law and the official religion of the state. A draft of the constitution was published earlier this week in an Iraqi newspaper. The draft reads “Islam is the official religion of the state and is the main source of legislation.” The draft would make it illegal for the Iraqi government to pass any legislation that contravenes the law of Islam. In addition, the draft constitution would permanently grant the Shiite Grand Ayatollah Sistani and future top Shiite religious authorities official authority to help guide the government. According to Middle East analyst Juan Cole, Shiite judges could use this section to allow the Grand Ayatollah to over-rule secular legislation. Cole said the constitution as drafted will move Iraq closer to being a fundamentalist state. Women’s groups in Iraq also fear they might lose rights that they have held for decades in Iraq under the secular governments of Saddam Hussein and other Iraqi rulers. The Los Angeles Times reports that the draft constitution jettisons nearly 50 years of progressive Iraqi legislation protecting women’s rights.