Salafis call for Islamic law in Egypt protest

From CNN and Ahram

Thousands of supporters of various Egyptian Salafi groups gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday calling for the immediate implementation of Islamic law.

Before midday prayers, speakers called on the government of President Mohamed Morsy to move quickly to implement Sharia. Morsy won the office as the candidate for the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party.

About 10,000 demonstrators advocating for Sharia filled the square, chanting in unison, "The people want God's law applied."

Demonstration organizers set up a large stage and sound system overnight. Residents in the neighborhoods around Tahrir slept fitfully as the sound system blasted religious songs and prayers starting at midnight. The two main organizers are the Gama'a Islamiya, which fought against the security forces of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, and the Salafi Front, which was founded after Mubarak's departure. Earlier this week, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafi Nour Party declared they would not participate in the event.

A petition by Salafist protesters demanding all legislations to be based on Islamic law circulates in Friday Tahrir Square demonstration.  

"I, the undersigned agree that a phrase is to be added to Article 2 of the constitution, stating that Sharia is the base for the constitution and no article should be present that conflicts with Sharia," read the statement signed by protesters in the square.

Article 2 of the constitution has been a source of disputes between members of the Constituent Assembly, as Islamists reject the current formulation of the article that states that "principles of Islamic Sharia" are the main source of legislation. Islamists are demanding the article reads "the main source," while non-Islamists demand the article to remain unchanged to prevent Egypt from changing into a 'religious' state.