British dissent over Islamic law remark
Archbishop of Canterbury starts a row after saying some aspects of Sharia probably will be adopted.
LONDON — As Britain reels under unprecedented levels of immigration that have challenged the small island nation's traditions, the Archbishop of Canterbury entered the fray this week by declaring it is probably "unavoidable" that some limited form of Islamic law will have to be accepted in Britain.
The archbishop, Rowan Williams, is the spiritual leader of the Church of England, and his pronouncement, aimed at building greater inclusiveness for Britain's 1.8 million Muslims, has instead unleashed a storm of dissent, even among some Muslims, and calls within the church for his resignation.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office sought to distance the government from the proposal, while not ruling it out, and several Parliament leaders were openly critical.
"We have to accept that whatever your views, whatever your faith, whatever the great cultural diversity -- which I celebrate in this country we have -- there's got to be a certain set of values that we all subscribe to, otherwise the whole thing falls apart," said Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrat Party. "Respect for the same body of law is part of that glue that holds a democratic society together."
Khalid Mahmood, a Muslim and a Labor member of Parliament, said he agreed with "the vast majority of UK Muslims [who] oppose any such move to introduce Sharia here. British law is the envy of the world."
Some polls have shown that substantial numbers of British Muslims would like to live under some form of Islamic law, and often feel alienated when their traditional legal principles come into conflict with secular civil law.
Muslims have complained that though Christian and Jewish religious marriages are legally recognized, Muslims usually must have a separate civil ceremony.
Sharia, the system of law based on the Koran and the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, covers many elements of life, such as who may marry, how to pray, how trade is to be conducted and how punishments should be meted out for crimes. It provides, for example, that men may take as many as four wives if they care for them adequately.
The archbishop said he was proposing consideration of the principles of Sharia only in limited areas such as family law, and only in cases in which all parties agreed to submit to an alternative legal forum and could opt out at any time.
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