Criticism For Archbishop's Sharia Law Comments

The Archbishop of Canterbury has been criticised for comments he made which suggested that some aspects of Sharia law should be introduced in the UK.

Islamic Sharia law is the legal framework which governs the public and some private aspects of life for Muslims. However, it has been criticised in the Western world due to the extreme nature of some of the punishments.

In an interview on 'The World At One' programme on Radio 4, the Archbishop said that he believed that the adoption of some aspects of Sharia law in the UK seemed "unavoidable" and that certain elements, such as marital disputes and financial matters, could be dealt with for Muslims in a Sharia court.

However, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham told BBC 1's 'Question Time' that such a move would be a "recipe for chaos".

Trevor Phillips, Chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, described Dr Williams' thinking as "muddled and unhelpful". He said: "Raising this idea in this way will give fuel to anti-Muslim extremism and dismay everyone who is working towards a more integrated society.

"It is perfectly legitimate for the Archbishop to want a sober debate about the extent to which people of faith - be they Muslim, Jewish or Christian - have their special practices recognised by the law. It is also right that our law should become more inclusive and recognise the diversity of modern Britain - allowing banks to offer Sharia compliant financial products for example.

"However, his implication that British courts should treat people differently based on their faith is divisive and dangerous. It risks removing the protection afforded by law, for example, to children in custody cases or women in divorce proceedings.

"There is a fundamental principle here- when you appear before a court in Britain you appear as a citizen, equal to any other and you should be treated equally to any other. There can be no opt outs. If we abandon that principle, the first people who would suffer would be ethnic minority citizens.

"This is the opposite of what modern multiculturalism should mean. I don't doubt the Archbishop's desire to accommodate diversity, but we cannot do so at the expense of our common values," he said.

Shadow community cohesion and social action minister Baroness Warsi said that Dr Williams' comments were "unhelpful". She said that the important principle was "equality" with people of all backgrounds and religions being treated equally before the law. She said that freedom under the law allows respect for some religious practices, but stressed: "Let's be absolutely clear - all British citizens must be subject to British laws developed through Parliament and the courts."

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said: "Whilst having an enormous amount of respect for Rowan Williams, I cannot agree with his conclusions on this issue.

"Equality before the law is part of the glue that binds our society together. We cannot have a situation where there is one law for one person and different laws for another.

"There is a huge difference between respecting peoples' right to follow their own beliefs and allowing them to excuse themselves from the rule of law."

(KMcA)