CAIRO – Two days before a constitutional referendum it considered boycotting, Egypt's secular opposition finally launched its "no" campaign Thursday with newspaper and TV ads detailing the argument against the charter drafted by Islamist supporters of President Mohammed Morsi.

The Morsi camp has a simpler message: A "Yes" to the constitution is a yes to Islam.

The deadly violence and harsh divisions of recent weeks – combined with the inability of most Egyptians to even comprehend the densely written 63-page document – have turned the vote into a stark choice on whether the largest Arab nation takes a serious step toward theocratic rule.