Anglican leader 'horrified' by Sharia law row: predecessor
LONDON (AFP) — Rowan Williams, the leader of the world's Anglicans, is "horrified" by the hostile backlash about his comments on Islamic law, his predecessor said Sunday.
Lord George Carey, whom Williams succeeded as Archbisop of Canterbury in 2003, said the Church of England's highest-ranking cleric had overstated the case for adopting some parts of sharia law.
Williams has drawn heavy criticism since saying Thursday that bringing bits in alongside Britain's legal system "seems unavoidable" in certain circumstances.
Williams, due to address the Church of England's General Synod governing body on Sunday, may seize the opportunity to attempt to quell the row.
"The Archbishop of Canterbury may have done Britain a great favour by raising issues concerning Islam," Carey wrote in the News of the World newspaper.
"His conclusion that Britain will eventually have to concede some place in law for aspects of sharia is a view I cannot share.
"There can be no exceptions to the laws of our land which have been so painfully honed by the struggle for democracy and human rights.
"His acceptance of some Muslim laws within British law would be disastrous for the nation."
But Carey also defended the Welsh theologian, saying he was a great leader and it was not a resigning matter.
"I don't believe he saw the implication of the speech he made. I understand he is horrified by what has happened."
Williams' speech was in vague, dense language and attempts at clarification by his Lambeth Palace office have done little to calm the storm around him.
"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," a statement on his website said.
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Carey said: "A public debate might bring this country's existing sharia councils under public scrutiny to ensure that they operate under British law.
"Muslims constitute less than three percent of the population. Most Muslims are heartily sick of being in the spotlight, but an ambitious programme of incorporating sharia tribunals into civil law, seems a little bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut -- and what it would do for social cohesion doesn't even bear thinking about."
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the leader of the 4.5 million Catholics in England and Wales, weighed into the debate, saying there were aspects of sharia that were not wanted in Britain.
"I don't believe in a multi-cultural society," he told The Sunday Telegraph.
"When people come to this country, they have to obey the laws of the land," said the son of Irish immigrants.
Britain's tabloid press focused on the harsher elements of sharia punishment in countries like Saudi Arabia, although in practice the code is generally used here for questions surrounding marriage and the preparation of Halal meat.
Some newspapers have called for Williams to resign.
Much of the debate has been centred on the potential for division between ethnic communities in Britain, particularly the country's 1.6 million Muslims, at a time when the government is trying to promote a more cohesive society.
Britain's multi-cultural model came under sharp scrutiny after four Islamist extremist suicide bombers, all either born or brought up in the country, blew themselves up in London in 2005, killing 52 other people.
