Counsel for ideologies July 18, 2021 The Council of Islamic Ideology is rarely in the news for reasons it is likely to appreciate. That may just be in the architecture of its DNA. Those who think religion is a private matter think it’s a step too far. The other side thinks it’s a step too short. And yet, both sides face the same problem when it comes to any kind of change – the constitution. The Council is commonly thought of as a kind of Islamic ‘regulator’. This isn’t so. For one, it’s only an advisory body (though this doesn’t mean its opinion is inconsequential). But, also, it wasn’t created by an ordinary law like the rest. The CII was created by the constitution itself. This makes tinkering with it much more difficult for either side. In fact, it makes it at least one-sixth harder: while ordinary laws can be amended through a simple majority in Parliament, a constitutional amendment requires the support of at least two-thirds of both houses.