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Is Egypt ready for a secular party?

Attempts to establish a secular party are springing up in Egypt, but can the country accept what this party preaches?
Amr Moussa, head of the assembly writing Egypt's new constitution,speaks after they finished their vote at the Shura Council in Cairo December 1, 2013. A hardline Islamist leader said the army had driven Egypt to the "edge of a precipice", as a new constitution likely to ban Islamic political parties was set to be approved on Sunday by the panel that drafted it. The 50-member constituent assembly was due to finish voting on a draft that reflects how the balance of power has shifted in Egypt since secular-mi
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CAIRO — Every now and then, activists and politicians raise the idea of ​​starting a secular party in Egypt. But faced with controversy, they quickly reconsider their proposals due to political unrest and security concerns in the country.

Such efforts date back to the era of former President Hosni Mubarak, stirring controversy over whether a secular party would violate the successive Egyptian constitutions and whether it impugns religious beliefs. However, a current attempt may be the most important to date. Supporters claim they have been collecting signatures to launch the Egyptian Secular Party, but say they are facing wide criticism in the media.

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