The constituent assembly’s rights and freedoms committee agreed to have the article on religious freedom restricted to the three heavenly religions only, the Middle East News Agency reported.

Members of the assembly agreed to write the article as follows: “Religious freedom is complete and the state guarantees freedom of worship for believers in heavenly religions.”

Article 46 of the 1971 constitution left religious freedom with no restrictions, sources in the assembly stated, adding that this will now mean there are certain groups that will not be allowed to practice their religions such as Shiites and Baha’is.

Only two members in the assembly, Manal al-Tibi and Bishop Yohanna Qolta, objected to restricting religious practices to heavenly religions only. Qolta cited a verse from Quran that says, “Let him who will believe, and let him who will, reject (it).”

But the Islamist-dominated assembly insisted on restricting religious freedom for fear of allowing freedom of worship with no constraints which may result in creating multiple places of worship.