OPINION: Whence Libya

There’s plenty of celebrating over the success of the rebels in Libya, and reason for concern about what will happen next.

Muammar Qadhafi was a tyrant—and right now his fate is unknown. But equally unknown is what type of regime will replace him. A draft of a potential new constitution for Libya’s transition contains a lot of promising language about liberty, at least until you get to the most important part:

That document says that the principal source of law for Libya must be Muslim Sharia law. Couple that with reports that Islamist extremists are a crucial part of the rebel alliance, and there’s reason to worry that a new Libya could sponsor jihadist terrorism against the USA.

It’s all premature , and this may not happen at all. But it’s a good reason not to go overboard in celebrating Qadhafi’s ouster.

From The Heritage Foundation, I’m Ernest Istook.

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