Barnabas Fund Response to the Archbishop of Canterbury`s recommendation to apply Islamic law in the UK

http://www.anglican-mainstream.net/index.php/2008/02/11/barnabas-fund-response-to-the-archbishop-of-canterburys-recommendation-to-apply-islamic-law-in-the-uk/

[Anglican Mainstream] 11 Feb 2008--Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, argued in a lunchtime radio interview on Thursday 7th February that the adoption of Islamic law, shari`a, in Britain is unavoidable. In the evening he gave a lecture at the Royal Courts of Justice (organised by the Temple Church and the Centre of Islamic and Middle East Law at London University`s School of Oriental and African Studies) in which his main argument seemed to be that in a plural multi-faith society the concept of one universal law for all citizens must be adapted to accommodate the reality of other law traditions in minority communities. He elaborated especially on the Muslim community in the UK and on Islamic law, and argued for an accommodation between English law and Islamic law so that either law system could be used for dispute resolution and for marriage, divorce, inheritance and other matters.

Analysis
While the Archbishop has the best of intentions in wanting to create greater cohesion and harmony in British society, his suggestions seem sure to result in the exact opposite. He seems to be taking multiculturalism to an extreme, extending it to the legal system of the state, and thus creating new arenas for conflict and hostility.