KUWAIT CITY, Feb 19: Several politicians, academics and public commentators are of the view that amendment to Article 79 of the Constitution will push Kuwait further to extremism and render the country a “Talebani” state, adding Allah the Almighty orders Muslims to be moderate and lenient in practicing the religion. In his comment, Legal Advisor at Kuwait Lawyers Association Lawyer Hamdan Al-Nemshan said the issue of amending Article 79 of the stipulated “A bill will not become law until the National Assembly passes it and His Highness the Amir ratifies it in line with Islamic tenets”.He said the act is only an attempt to show off in the media and it is unfortunate that some lawmakers are ignorant of the Constitution. He quoted Article 2 of the Constitution, which says “Islam is the religion of the country and Islamic Sharia is the major source of legislation”. Contributing to the discussion, Chairman of the Media Committee of Kuwait Society for Evaluating Parliamentary Performances Faisal Al-Harbi disclosed that MP Hayef Al-Mutairi requested amendment to Article 79 in 2009 and 2012 parliaments but the effort turned out futile.He is of the view that the lawmaker might have resorted to initiate the issue due to pressure from the electorate in his constituency. He observed the country has many more important and urgent issues to handle right now. He cited the need for national economic development by finding other sources of income besides oil.He added several hot political issues are happening in the region at the moment that deserves serious attention and effort. In his response, renowned economist and professor of Business Administration at Kuwait University Dr Ali Al-Hababi argued that Kuwait is naturally a Muslim country that does not need amendment to Article 79, and the majority of laws in the country are Islamic. He cited the banking law by which Al-Azhar University approves banking interests, saying it is an aspect of improvement in the Islamic jurisprudence. Najeh Bilal Al-Seyassah Staff