Egypt: No hijab, No Vote....

Egyptians narrowly approve Sharia constitution

Virtually Absent From U.S. Press Coverage of Egypt’s Constitution and Referendum: It’s About Sharia Law

The proposed constitution is about institutionalizing sharia in Egypt, and the last-minute splitting of the vote, originally scheduled for only today but now taking place today and next Saturday, is about ensuring its victory at the polls–Read more>>

Women without Hijabs were prevented from voting in Egypt (Pamela Geller)

The opposition National Salvation Front was quoted by AFP as saying that a judge in Nasr City forbade Christians from casting their vote.

‘Down With Morsi!’: Christians, Women Allege Voter Suppression in Egypt’s Constitution Referendum
“It is a joke. I don’t trust them.”–Read More »

Now lets not rush to any conclusions; even Jimmy Carter would say the people voted for the sharia out of their free will. Only the usual troublemakers faced some difficulties:

Christian voters turned away from referendum vote (JW)

Because it was known that they would vote against the Sharia constitution. More on this story. “Egypt Islamists claim majority in referendum,” from AP.

Burning Desire:

“The judges have a burning desire to instate shari’a laws regarding Islamic hudud punishments” — stonings, amputations, lashings

Egypt: Islamic supremacists attack opposition party paper with Molotov cocktails; sheikhs tell Muslims to vote in favor of Sharia constitution

Egyptians vote for Sharia — or else. “Violence flares in Cairo as Egyptians vote,” by Tamim Elyan and Yasmine Saleh for Reuters, December 15:

(Reuters) – Islamists attacked the offices of an Egyptian opposition party newspaper on Saturday, security sources said, as people voted on a new constitution intended to pull the country out of a growing political crisis.

Egypt: Opposition to Islamic supremacists say referendum “marred by irregularities and violations,” calls for new vote

They charge that the Muslim Brotherhood intimidated people into voting in favor of the Sharia constitution. That “largely secular” group? Oh, surely not!

“Egypt’s opposition shouts ‘violations,’ calls for vote repeat,” from al Arabiya, December 16 (thanks to Voice of the Copts):

Egypt’s main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, called on Sunday for a repeat of the first round of the constitutional referendum and wants a probe into 4,000 complaints it said took place during the vote.

Islamists claimed victory in the initial phase of the referendum, but the opposition alleged the balloting had been “marred by irregularities and violations,” the Front said in a statement obtained by Al Arabiya.

The two sides’ positions drew out the deep uncertainty and division seen in Egypt over the past three weeks, a period marked by mass protests and deadly clashes.

A small majority of 56.5 percent voted for the draft charter, which was put to half of Egypt’s 51 million voters on Saturday, according to the Freedom and Justice Party. They are the political branch of President Mohamed Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood.

Egyptian media reported roughly the same figure, which fell short of the landslide victory the Brotherhood had been hoping for….

The head of the Front, Mohamed ElBaradei, a former chief of the U.N. nuclear energy agency, tweeted of the first round: “Country split, flagrant irregularities, low turnout, disillusion with Islamists on the rise. Illiteracy remains a hurdle.”…

Liberals and Christians boycotted the assembly that drafted the charter, complaining that the Islamist-dominated panel ignored their concerns….

For his part, Hisham Kassem, an Egyptian analyst based in Cairo, told AFP the Muslim Brotherhood used “intimidation” to bolster the “yes” vote. He predicts that if the new charter is adopted, it “is likely to take the country into some sort of paralysis or civil disobedience.”