Posted on 02/09/2008 6:35:53 AM PST by COUNTrecount
Under fire: Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams The Archbishop of Canterbury was facing demands to quit last night as the row over sharia law intensified.
Leading bishops publicly contradicted Dr Rowan Williams's call for Islamic law to be brought into the British legal system.
With the Church of England plunged into crisis, senior figures were said to be discussing the archbishop's future.
One member of the church's "Cabinet", the Archbishop's Council, was reported as saying: "There have been a lot of calls for him to resign. I don't suppose he will take any notice, but, yes, he should resign."
Officials at Lambeth Palace told the BBC Dr Williams was in a "state of shock" and "completely overwhelmed" by the scale of the row.
It was said that he could not believe the fury of the reaction. The most damaging attack came from the Pakistan-born Bishop of Rochester, the Right Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali.
He said it would be "simply impossible" to bring sharia law into British law "without fundamentally affecting its integrity".
Sharia "would be in tension with the English legal tradition on questions like monogamy, provisions for divorce, the rights of women, custody of children, laws of inheritance and of evidence.
"This is not to mention the relation of freedom of belief and of expression to provisions for blasphemy and apostasy."
The church's second most senior leader, Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu, refused to discuss the matter. But he has said sharia law "would never happen" in Britain.
Politicians joined the chorus of condemnation, with Downing Street saying British law should be based on British values. Tory and LibDem leaders also voiced strong criticism.
Even prominent Muslims were rounding on Dr Williams. Shahid Malik, Labour MP for Dewsbury, said: "I haven't experienced any clamour or fervent desire for sharia law in this country.
"If there are people who prefer sharia law there are always countries where they could go and live."
Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Bar, rejected the idea that British law forces Muslims to choose between their religion and their society.
He said: "This will alienate people from other communities because they will think it is what Muslims want - and it is not."
The Muslim Council of Britain came to Dr Williams's aid, however, describing his comments in a lecture to lawyers and a BBC interview as "thoughtful".
But Oxford University Islamic scholar Professor Tariq Ramadan admitted: "These kinds of statements just feed the fears of fellow citizens. I really think we, as Muslims, need to come up with something that we abide by the common law and within these latitudes there are possibilities for us to be faithful to Islamic principles."
The archbishop is likely to come under heavy fire next week at a meeting of the Church's General Synod.
Liberal and feminist critics have been appalled by the thought of sharia law while evangelical opponents believe Dr Williams has failed to defend Christianity.
The archbishop was already battling intractable difficulties within the church over gay rights, a row which began nearly five years ago and has brought him criticism from all sides. Later this year he has to face a conference of hundreds of bishops from around the world which threatens further bitter division.
Dr Williams's opponents on the conservative evangelical wing - who resent his liberal beliefs on issues such as gay rights - were suggesting last night that the archbishop is finished.
The Reverend Paul Dawson of the Reform group of around 500 clergy said: "We are very sad that he does not seem to be able to articulate a clear Christian vision for Britain. It is true to say that there is a lot of dissatisfaction."
Dr Williams defended himself in a Lambeth Palace statement saying he had been trying to "tease out" the issue.
The archbishop had said it could help build a better and more cohesive society if Muslims were able to choose to have marital disputes or financial matters, for example, dealt with in a sharia court. The adoption of some elements of sharia law "seems unavoidable".
But the statement insisted: "The archbishop made no proposals for sharia, and certainly did not call for its introduction as some kind of parallel jurisdiction to the civil law."
Even fellow bishops, however, think this is precisely what Dr Williams did say.
Bishop of Southwark Tom Butler, a liberal who would normally be expected to defend Dr Williams, said the archbishop had been entering a minefield and added: "It will take a great deal of thought and work before I think it is a good idea."
He was more blunt in a circular to clergy in his diocese, saying he had yet to be convinced of the feasibility of incorporating any non-Christian religious law into the English legal system.
See, it’s nonsense like this that shows why there should be no state churches, archbishops, dioceses, or any of that other hierarchical junk. The Bible only speaks of local churches, and that’s all that Christianity should have - local New Testament churches with their pastors and deacons. Anything in addition to that - archbishops, dioceses, popes, and all the other trappings of apostasy - just end up creating the legalistic headaches like this that can’t be dealt with by simply disciplining the incorrigible out of the local membership. And with the local church model instituted by Christ and the apostles, if one church goes bad, then it doesn’t affect all the others.
They've been terrible since Dick Hauser died.
The Archbishop of Canterbury soon to be morphing into the Ayatollah of Canterbury.
Three cheers for the see of Rochester! St. John Fisher was Bishop Nazir-Ali’s noble and martyred predecessor...
Ann Coulter was a number of centuries too late.
Full Disclosure: Hillaire Belloc has written a very good book on the military strategy of the Crusades...
Cheers!
fifth place in the american league central
funny dude....just watch the Yankees pitching this year....
even beyond johan santana with your Mets!!!!
Isn’t it the calling of a Christian leader to spread the Gospel to those who do not know the way?
“Muslims leave their lands to get away from sharia law”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1967633/posts
Really ? it’s already rolling in . Don’t be an ostrich.
“Brave Sir Rowan ran away, bravely ran away, away...”
The Archpinhead is so out of touch with reality,he doesn’t even know that grooming and haircuts are commercially available.
He can always officially convert and become a mullah.
The only faith he has is in his own infallibility. He has no faith in god because his bloated ego cannot accept the idea of a being greater than himself.
I hear there’s a barber over on Fleet Street that’ll be happy to give him a shave...
and how long will the Queen take this bishop’s embarrassing statements and mis-deeds??? will she step up for good ol England and remove him???
Don’t be an ostrich. What’s that article got to do with sharia law? Ontario and Quebec legislators have already dealt with sharia law and it was a non starter . Sharia Law in Texas is a better link . You’ll also find it in NJ and Minnesota.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1967160/posts
I'll buy but I'm bringing my own lunch
O.K., so you’re saying it’s already more advanced than I thought? Sorry. Are (all/some ) Moslems leaving their homelands to escape it, or are they trying to establish it here?
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