NTC considers Cyrenaica\'s autonomy would violate Sharia

Ahmed Zubair al-Sanusi The Council of the Territory of Cyrenaica Transition, headed by Ahmed Zubair al-Sanusi, declared autonomy from the current interim transitional institutions. In a statement from its military council headquarters  Cyrenaica, on Tuesday,  it stating that a federal national system is an option for a united state whose constitutional “Hariatha” is Islamic law,  that the military council is a symbol of the country\'s unity and its legitimate representative in international arenas.
The statement confirmed the Council\'s adherence to the Constitution of 1951, rejecting all amendments after the amendment in 1963. \"It upheld the values and principles of the revolution of February 17 last year, and the protection of all human rights, democracy, justice and equality\", while announcing its refusal of the constitutional declaration, election laws, and the distribution of seats in the National Congress, and “all laws and decisions that are considered to be incompatible with the status of the existing power authority transition.”
The statement stressed the necessity for activating and protecting the judiciary and supporting the army and security institutions as well as revolutionaries in order to maintain security and stability in the region. \"Followers and cronies of the former regime will not have any role in this project\", the statement went on to say.
The official spokesperson of Libya\'s National Transitional Council, (NTC) Mohamed Nasr Al Harizi said that Cyrenaica\'s bid for Federalism violates  Islamic law (Sharia) and that the Transitional National Assembly is acknowledged by Libyans, the world and international organisations, as the official and legitimate representative of the Libyan people.
Libya\'s NTC, the interim central government based in the capital Tripoli, has repeatedly voiced its opposition to the creation of a partly autonomous eastern region, warning it could eventually lead to the break-up of the north African nation. Protests erupted on Sunday against  Federalism and the country\'s division with chants of \"Libya is neither eastern or western, it is one country\". Protesters raised banners saying that a divided Libya  was against the principles of the February 17 Revolution, and that the “martyrs\' blood” should not be in vain.
The statement also asked the National Assembly and the transitional government to tackle the negatives facing the society which still remain and to intensify their efforts.
Finally, the NTC said they would reject the inclusion of any text in the permanent constitution which would divide the country into states or regions with decentralised legislative powers.