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CAIRO — Thousands of Islamists rallied in Cairo on Friday to demand immediate introduction of sharia and called on President Mohamed Mursi to resist opposition to Islamic law.

Islamists, Liberals and non-Islamists have locked horns over what civic freedoms women, Christians and minority groups will enjoy under a new constitution being drafted by an Islamist-dominated panel.

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The constitution is supposed to become the cornerstone of democratic transition after the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak last year. Without it, the country cannot hold elections to replace a parliament that a court declared void in June.

The Islamist camp is divided. Islamists on the panel are aiming to reach consensus over the constitution, but Friday’s rally brought together groups with little representation on the body – including the Salafist Front, its political arm the People Party, the Gamaa Islamiya and its Building and Development Party.