Tunisian MPs overwhelmingly reject Islam as "main source of law" in first article of new constitution

Tunisia's parliament sucessfully adopted Article 1 of its new constitution this weekend that stipulated that the Quran will not be the "main" source of law in the country, according to Agence France-Presse.

The article reads that “Tunisia is a free, independent and sovereign state. Islam is its religion, Arabic is its language, and it is a republic. It is not possible to amend this article.”

The article passed 146-3 in the National Constituent Assembly in favor representing a critical moment of compromise between the Islamist Ennahda party leadership and the secular opposition.

When drafting the amendment, parliamentarians rejected two different amendments that would elevate Islam to the only or main source of law in the country.

However, not all parties are happy with the outcome, such as the "Current of Love" party that believes Islamic law will give "spiritual backing to all rights and liberties."

The new constitution is supposed to be drafted before its Jan. 14 deadline which would mark a critical transition forward from the political turmoil and stalemates that have enveloped the country since last summer. However, media reports from this weekend suggest that the final version of the constitution will not be adopted before the mid-January deadline.