Egypt’s constitution is being rewritten by a small group appointed by the military-backed government, overhauling the previous, Islamist-driven charter. This will be the country’s fourth constitution in less than three years.

埃及正在改写国家宪法，军方支持的政府任命的一个委员会正在重新审查从前由伊斯兰教主义者推动的宪章。埃及正在为出台这个国家不到三年内的第四部宪章做准备。

A 50-member committee is overseeing what's meant to be the first step of a “roadmap” to reshape Egypt's government following the July ousting of the country's first freely-elected president, Islamist Mohamed Morsi.

一个由50人组成的委员会正在监督制定路线图的第一步，第一步措施的目的是在埃及第一位民选总统、信奉伊斯兰教的穆尔西7月被推翻之后，改组埃及政府。

Morsi pushed through last year's charter, written mainly by Islamists, using extraordinary powers. The move sparked a wave of popular unrest and marked the beginning of his political decline.

穆尔西任总统期间推出了去年的宪法，这部宪法主要由信奉伊斯兰教的人使用非常权力写成的。这部宪法触发了一轮民众抗议，标志着他在政治上走下坡路的开始。

For Morsi’s opponents, the potential for improving on the previous charter is vast.

对于穆尔西的反对者而言，改善从前这部宪章的可能性非常大。

“The constitution of the Muslim Brotherhood was, in my opinion, violating social and civil rights of the Egyptians. They tried to educate and re-educate Egyptians how to behave,” said Mustafa Labbad, the director of the Al Sharq Center for Regional and Strategic Studies.

穆斯塔法.拉巴德是阿尔·沙克地区和战略研究中心负责人。他说：“我认为，穆斯林兄弟会制定的宪法违反埃及民众的社会和民事权利。他们试图对埃及人的行为进行教育和再教育。”

Foremost among critics’ objections was what was perceived as an attempt to Islamize Egypt. The new draft, being drawn up by a group with noticeably few Islamists, promises to lift longstanding restrictions on Christian churches, but seems likely to retain overall limits on religious beliefs.

批评人士认为，穆尔西时代的宪法最大的害处是企图让埃及伊斯兰化。由一组很少具有伊斯兰主义信仰的人士起草的新宪法草稿承诺取消对基督教会的长期限制，不过似乎还保留对宗教信仰的总体限制。

Political sociologist Said Sadek of the American University in Cairo said he wishes the country could move beyond recognizing only the Abrahamic faiths.

开罗美利坚大学政治社会学家赛德·萨德克说，他希望埃及能够做到不仅仅承认基督教信仰。

“It would have given the signal that Egypt is modern, into the 21st century, [that] it does not discriminate against 51 percent of the world's population who don't believe in Christianity, Islam and Judaism,” said Sadek.

“埃及本应该释放它是现代国家的信号，告诉世人现在是21世纪，它不歧视占世界51%的人口，这部分人不信仰基督教、伊斯兰教和犹太教。”

Committee members are also tackling the other major issue in Egyptian politics today - the role of the military and the balance of power among branches of government.

委员会成员还要应对当今埃及政治中的其他重要力量，包括军队的作用和政府各部门之间力量的平衡等。

Few of the members have raised questions about the military's attempt to put protections for itself into the new constitution. Labbad is not surprised.

委员会成员中几乎没有人提出有关军方企图把保护军队加进新宪法的问题。分析人士拉巴德对此并不意外。

“Military institutions will be the dominant force in the upcoming political system and we have to confess, since at least 200 years [ago], Egyptian military institutions [have been] controlling the country,” said Labbad,

“军方机构将会成为即将建立的政治制度中的主导力量，我们不得不承认，至少200年来，埃及军方机构一直在控制这个国家。”

There are hints, however, that some dynamics may shift. The group has already decided to abolish the upper house of parliament; additionally, it appears to favor a greater division of responsibilities between the president and the prime minister.

不过有迹象显示，有些情况可能改变。该委员会已经决定废除议会上院。另外，委员会似乎更倾向于总统和总理之间更大的职责分工。

For a country that has undergone profound changes in recent years, some feel an imperfect document, even if again drafted quickly by a small and not fully representative group, may be enough for now.

但是有些人认为，对于一个近年来已经发生深刻变化的国家来说，一部不太完美的宪法可能就足够了，尽管它还是由不具全面代表性的少数人在很短的时间里起草的。

“We hope that this constitution becomes interim, [that] it is not going to be permanent, [that] it is going to stay some time until things improve, until there is lower illiteracy rate, lower poverty rate,” explained Sadek.

萨德克教授说：“我们希望这部宪法是临时的，不成为永久性宪法。在条件成熟之前，在文盲率、贫困率降低之前，让它发挥作用。”

The final draft is expected to be put to a public referendum next month, clearing the way for parliamentary and presidential elections next year.

宪法草稿的最终文本预计下个月进行全民公决，为明年的埃及议会和总统选举铺平道路。