Archbishop fends off Sharia criticism
by Maria Mackay
Posted: Saturday, February 9, 2008, 8:07 (GMT)
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, fought off fierce criticism on Friday over comments he made appearing to support the introduction of Sharia law.
A statement on Dr Williams' website insisted that the Archbishop had made no proposals for sharia and "certainly did not call for its introduction as some kind of parallel jurisdiction to the civil law".
The Archbishop faced a backlash after an interview with the BBC on Thursday in which he indicated that the introduction of some aspects of Sharia law in socially and religiously plural Britain were "unavoidable".
"Certain conditions of Sharia are already recognised in our society and under our law, so it is not as if we are bringing in an alien and rival system," he said in the interviewer.
Later on Thursday, the Archbishop delivered a lecture on 'Civil and Religious Law in England' as part of the Temple Festival, in which he explored some of the problems associated with a secular legal framework.
"We have to think a little harder about the role and rule of law in a plural society of overlapping identities," he said.
"The rule of law is thus not the enshrining of priority for the universal/abstract dimension of social existence but the establishing of a space accessible to everyone in which it is possible to affirm and defend a commitment to human dignity".
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Added: Sunday, February 10, 2008, 12:19 (GMT)
Dr Rowan Williamss is the acceptable liberal Anglican Church leader despite his ineptness..
This is not the first time Dr Rowan Williams has made a mockery of his so called leadership of one of the main stream Christian churches in England & Wales. During his five years of office he has proven himself to be completely out of touch with the feelings of the vast majority British people let alone British Christians or even the majority of Anglicans.
His muddled academic views reflect no one else's except his own and his merry band of academic liberals who live in their own little world but sadly have a disproportionate amount of power in the running of the Anglican Church. This latest faux par by the Archbishop should be the final straw and he should be encouraged to resign forthwith before he makes any more embarrassing or as this time; dangerous remarks in public. However, the woolly liberal clerics and other similar hangers on that run the Anglican Church will make sure Dr Rowan Williams clings to power, no matter how inept he is as a Christian leader not only because they have a vestige interest in the Church being led by such a weak Christian but they also couldn't bare the thought of an Evangelical Christian leading the Anglican Church, God forbid!
Simon Icke, Aylesbury UK
Added: Saturday, February 9, 2008, 11:59 (GMT)
In answer to Ann Roux:
Of course we are Christians if we attack him because the Archbishop isn't a Christian - he's a man of religion
Charles Crosby, UK
Added: Saturday, February 9, 2008, 11:01 (GMT)
Are all those who attack The Archbishop of Canterbury really Christians?
Ann Roux, London, UK
Added: Saturday, February 9, 2008, 10:15 (GMT)
british laws are based on roman law, but primarily on the system of courts & precedence set up by Henry II, this was the legal system of Anjou.
there is very little about it that is british
austen redmond, hastings
