Archbishop set to defend himself in sharia law row

Feb 11 2008 Western Mail

THE Archbishop of Canterbury was last night preparing to defend himself from the furious reaction to his comments on sharia law.

Dr Rowan Williams is thought likely to mention the row during his presidential address to the General Synod in London today.

He has been under attack since Thursday for claiming the adoption of elements of Islamic legal codes in the UK “seems unavoidable”.

At least two synod members have called for Dr Williams to go and he has faced criticism from leading bishops, secular groups and government figures.

The synod has powers to hold emergency debates over matters of concern within the church, but sources have said these are rare and there was no indication the archbishop’s position would be discussed.

Criticism of his comments continued to mount over the weekend.

His predecessor Lord (George) Carey wrote in the News of the World, “He has in my opinion overstated the case for accommodating Islamic legal codes.

“His conclusion that Britain will eventually have to concede some place in law for aspects of sharia is a view I cannot share.”

But Lord Carey also defended the archbishop saying, “This is not a matter upon which Dr Williams should resign. He is a great leader in the Anglican tradition and he has a very important role to play in the church.

“He has my full support. I telephoned him to say this to him and to tell him he is in my prayers. I understand he is horrified by what has happened.”

Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, told reporters, “When people come into this country they have to obey the laws of the land.”

He added, “There are aspects of sharia that are practised that we certainly wouldn’t want in this country.

“The laws of this country don’t allow forced marriages or polygamy.

“It seems to me a government and a country has a right to make sure that those laws are kept.”

Colonel Edward Armitstead, a synod member from the diocese of Bath and Wells, said, “I think that Rowan Williams is a godly, gracious and clearly very able person in many ways, but I don’t think he’s got the gift of leadership that the church needs at this present time.

“The church is facing difficulties with falling attendances, diminished financial giving and fewer men and women coming forward for ordination to full-time ministry, and it really needs a clear Christian leadership.

“It seems unfortunate that he has set this hare running at this stage when there are other things of perhaps greater importance for the church to consider.”

Chief Whip Geoff Hoon said, “The Government has been at pains to encourage arbitration, mediation and other ways of resolving matters without the recourse sometimes to expensive legal proceedings.

“Certainly there is a debate to be had about that, but there cannot be any kind of debate about the single authority of our civil legal system and any confusion about that can only cause problems.”

Tory former Chancellor Ken Clarke said of the archbishop, “He’s just one of the most unworldly men I have ever met, together with being one of the most intelligent and plainly one of the most saintly, and he has got himself into an absolutely classic British row and has angered a lot of people because they have all been persuaded that he has been talking about bringing back the stoning of women for various moral offences, and so on, which plainly he is just about the last person on earth to contemplate.”

Dr Williams defended himself on his website on Friday, saying he had made no proposals for sharia, and “certainly did not call for its introduction as some kind of parallel jurisdiction to the civil law”.

He has been backed by some Church figures.

The Rev Giles Fraser, vicar of Putney, told the BBC Radio 4 Sunday programme the media had descended on Dr Williams like a “pack of dogs”.

“I think the big issue here is the way the press has treated the Archbishop of Canterbury for raising a legitimate issue for him to raise.

“That is the big moral picture here.

“They have been a pack of dogs having a go at him without even trying to understand what he said.

“There is something sinister about a culture that judges first and tries to understand later.”