President Mohamed Morsi Saturday set Dec. 15 as the date for a national referendum on the constitutional draft presented him Friday after eight straight days of mass street protests against his assumption of powers overriding the judiciary. The draft which retains the principles of Islamic law as the main source of legislation was approved by a constitutional panel after it was boycotted by liberal and Christian members. They accused the Islamists of hijacking the process. It was rammed through at top speed to beat the Sunday deadline when Egypt’s highest judicial power, the Supreme Constitutional Court, was expected to dissolve the panel as not fully representative. Morsi went on television to explain he was acting to protect the revolution from reactionary forces and vowed to uncover “counterrevolutionaries hiding under judicial robes.”