New Egyptian Law Will Permit Religious Slogans In Election Campaigns

Bloomberg News reports that on Wednesday, the upper house of Egypt's parliament-- the Islamist led Shura Council-- approved a new political rights law that drops the ban on religious slogans in election campaigns.  It instead replaces the ban with a prohibition of slogans involving "gender and religious discrimination." (The Shura council is the only branch of parliament functioning, since the courts shut down the lower chamber.)  Secularists and human rights groups are critical of the new law, saying it is an attempt by the Muslim Brotherhood to take the political battle in a religious direction. According to Xinhua, some analysts believe the Supreme Constitutional Court will strike down the law on the basis that Chap. I, Art. 6 of Egypt's Constitution prohibits political parties based on religion.