[JURIST] US officials have dropped their objections to Islam playing a role in Iraq's legal system, according to members of Iraq's constitutional committee [official website]. Shiite and Kurdish negotiators have said that US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad has proposed that the Iraqi constitution [JURIST news archive] name Islam as "a primary source" of law, which would give clerics authority over divorce, marriage and other civil issues. The role of Islam [JURIST report] has proved to be a difficult issue to resolve, with many of Iraq's minority groups pushing for Islam to be named one of many sources of law, rather than the main source of law. Critics say that naming Islam as a primary source will lead to the erosion of women's rights and are calling the US backing of Islamic law out of line with American values. Monday's Guardian has more.