Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Mufid Shehab said Friday that the proposed constitutional amendments put all Egyptians on an equal footing irrespective of religion or race.

The Egyptian Constitution is among the first charters that upheld human rights and public freedoms, Shehab noted.

He added that the core of democracy was the freedom of opinion and executive authorities to guarantee protection of rights and public freedoms. Constitutional amendments aim at boosting the democratic system, promoting rights and freedoms and bolstering partisan life, he added.

Addressing a seminar on the proposed constitutional amendments in Cairo University, Shehab said Article Two of the Constitution, which states that Islam is the religion of the state and Shari`ah (Islamic law) is "the" main source of legislation, does not run counter to the principle of equality.

"The constitution did not make Shari`ah the "sole" source of legislation, but the main source so that the state can enlist other laws that do not contradict the Islamic law," he explained.

"Article Two is obliging lawmakers not to adopt laws that violate Shari`ah."

Shehab further said the proposed anti-terror law could be challenged before the Constitutional Court.

"It will never be immune and could be challenged if it violated the Constitution," he noted.

"The ad hoc committee set up to draft the anti-terror law is still working on the motion, taking into account several relevant laws adopted by the United Nations and some foreign countries," he said.

Shehab, however, said that the committee has excluded the British and American anti-terror laws.

"They are largely restricting privacies and personal freedoms, particularly when it comes to the stop-and-search operations," he said.

"The new anti-terror law would clearly define terrorism and set sentences and measures supervised by the judiciary," he said.