BAGHDAD, August 11, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – With Iraqi representatives wrestling Thursday, August 11, for consensus on the first post-Saddam Hussein constitution ahead of the August 15 deadline, calls for federalism heightened from Shiites and women raised concerns over their rights under the new charter.

Adding more confusion to an already foggy process, a leading Shiite figure called for establishing a federal Shiite state in the south and middle provinces, turning up pressures on his Sunni and Kurd opponents, Reuters said.

"Regarding federalism, we think that it is necessary to form one entire region in the south," Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) told a rally in Najaf Thursday.

Hakim's rousing calls were greeted with wild enthusiasm by tens of thousands of supporters crying "Yes, yes to Islam!", "Yes, yes to Hakim!".

The meeting was called to commemorate the assassination of former SCIRI leader, Hakim's brother, two years ago by a huge car bomb in Najaf.

It is the first time that Al-Hakim, who headed the Shiite list of parliamentarians that won a sweeping majority in the 30 January legislative elections, has stated the need for an autonomous region so clearly.

But the Iraqi government immediately rejected Hakims' call for establishing an autonomous Shiite region, dismissing it as "unacceptable".

"The idea of a Shi'ite region ... is unacceptable to us," said Laith Kubba, spokesman for Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.

The call was also rebuffed by the Iraqi Sunnis as a bid to stir up sectarian strife in the war-marred country.

"We hoped this day would never come. We believe that the Arabs, whether Sunni or Shiite, are one. We totally reject any attempt to stir up sectarian issues to divide Iraq," Saleh Al-Mutlaq, a leading Sunni Arab politician, told Reuters.

"It's true that we have only five days left but I hope we will solve the problems on time," Jaafari said (Reuters)

Meanwhile, racing time to meet the August 15 deadline, Shiite, Sunni and Kurd representatives met Thursday to reach a common ground on the unresolved issues dogging the final draft constitution.

"A series of meetings were being held on Thursday by the Shiites, the Sunnis and the Kurds to help arrive at a decision," Mahmud Othman, a member of the constitution panel told Agence France Presse (AFP).

Terming the meetings "fruitful", Othman said most Iraqi groups appeared to be softening their stands on the Constitution.

"We are getting positive feedback and very soon all these people will hold a joint meeting with the top Iraqi leaders," he said.

Issues hampering drafting the Iraqi Constitution range from the role of Islam to federalism and distribution of the country's natural resources, especially oil revenues.

The Kurds are pressing for federalism, while the Shiites remain divided and the Sunnis are strongly against it.

"The Sunnis are still apprehensive about federalism, but then they are discussing it, and officials from the US and UK embassies and also the United Nations are briefing them as well as others," Othman maintained.

Despite the continuing division between the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds on the new Constitution, Jaafari expressed optimism that the draft constitution would be ready by August 15.

"It's true that we have only five days left but I hope we will solve the problems on time," Jaafari said Wednesday.

Secular Iraqi women groups took to the streets to demand enshrining Islam as one of the sources, not the only source of legislation

The role of Islam in the new Iraqi Constitution has also been a bone of friction, especially between women conservative and secular groups.

"We demand to have Islam the only source of legislation in the new Constitution," Roba Hamid Majed Al-Shamaa, a Sunni activist, told IslamOnline.net Thursday.

"The demand for including Islam as the only source of legislation is also supported by the Shiites, who make up the majority of the constitution panel."

Secular women groups took to the streets Tuesday, August 9, pressing for enshrining Islam as one of the sources, not the only source of legislation.

Asked why they feel the Islamic Shari`ah isn't enough to protect their rights, Rend Rahim, an Iraqi-American and ambassador to the US, cut in.

"We don't fear Shari`ah. Islam guarantees rights for women. But what we are concerned about is the arbitrary interpretations."

The Sunni activist rebuffed such a demand though.