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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7236849.stm

Archbishop under pressure to quit

The Archbishop of Canterbury continues to face calls for his resignation despite attempts to defuse the row over his Islamic Sharia law comments.
Dr Rowan Williams has been condemned from inside and outside his church for saying the adoption of parts of the law was "unavoidable" in Britain.

At least two General Synod members have called for him to quit and he has been heckled as he left a church service.

But supporters say his comments have been misinterpreted.

The archbishop is said to be shocked and hurt by the hostility his comments have provoked, and on his website he said he "certainly did not call for its introduction as some kind of parallel jurisdiction to the civil law".

Members of the Synod - the Church of England's national assembly - will have the opportunity of tabling a motion to discuss the issue at the body's biannual meeting, starting on Monday.

It is more likely that Dr Williams will receive warm support, such is the respect and affection for him among Anglicans, BBC News religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said.

Dr Williams evidently wanted to provoke discussion about Sharia but not the impassioned and confused debate that has taken place, our correspondent added.

University setting

The Right Reverend George Cassidy, Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, is the latest colleague to offer support.

He described the reaction as "hysterical" and said the archbishop was simply trying to take forward a serious public debate.

I sense he would be far happier in a university where he can kick around these sorts of ideas

Synod member Col Edward Armitstead

"The archbishop can count on the support of all serious minded people who are prepared to tackle the challenges of our complex society," he said.

Meanwhile, the Very Reverend Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark Cathedral, said the archbishop's advisors were not up to the job.

"I have said to him on many occasions that his staff actually aren't up to the job and he needs a bigger staff and more expert advice," he said.

Islamic Sharia law is a legal and social code designed to help Muslims live their daily lives, but it has proved controversial in the West for the extreme nature of some of its punishments.

Col Edward Armitstead, a Synod member from the diocese of Bath and Wells, was among those calling for Dr Williams to step down, telling the Daily Telegraph: "I don't think he is the man for the job."

He is undoubtedly one of the finest minds of this nation

Rt Rev Stephen Lowe

He said: "One wants to be charitable, but I sense that he would be far happier in a university where he can kick around these sorts of ideas."

Alison Ruoff, a Synod member from London, said: "Many people, huge numbers of people, would be greatly relieved [if he resigned] because he sits on the fence over all sorts of things and we need strong, Christian, biblical leadership right now, as opposed to somebody who huffs and puffs around and vacillates from one thing to another.

"He's a very able, a brilliant scholar as a man but in terms of being a leader of the Christian community I think he's actually at the moment a disaster."

'A disaster'

Brig William Dobbie, a former Synod member, described the archbishop as "a disaster, a tragic mistake".

SHARIA LAW
Sharia law is Islam's legal system
It is derived from the Koran and the life of the prophet Mohammed
Sharia rulings help Muslims understand how they should lead their lives
A formal legal ruling is called a fatwa
In the West, Sharia courts deal mainly with family and business issues
English law recognises religious courts as a means of arbitration

Q and A: Sharia law explained
Sharia law around the world

The statement on the archbishop's website said Dr Williams had pointed out that "as a matter of fact, certain provisions of Sharia are already recognised in our society and under our law".

The statement said he was "exploring ways in which reasonable accommodation might be made within existing arrangements for religious conscience".

It also said his principal aim was "to tease out some of the broader issues around the rights of religious groups within a secular state".

And he said he did not initiate the idea but simply agreed when that proposition was put to him.

First public appearance

Dr Williams made his first public appearance since the controversy erupted at a thanksgiving service on Saturday but made no comment on the row.

The service, at Great St Mary's in Cambridge, was held to give thanks for the life of the Rev Professor Charles Moule, a New Testament scholar who died last year.

As Dr Williams left the church, one person shouted "resign" and a couple of people booed, but there were no signs of any protest.

The archbishop has been defended by the most senior woman priest in the Church of England, the Dean of Salisbury the Very Reverend June Osborne, who said he was right to discuss Sharia law.

"We can say he may have been politically naive [but] I don't think he was.

"Our society needs to be provoked into talking about these things. I would say that all of the law of Britain has got to work within the very high standards of human rights and Christian principles."

'Lampooned'

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said it was grateful for the Archbishop's "thoughtful intervention" on the discussion of the place of Islam and Muslims in modern Britain.

A spokesman said: "The MCB observes, with some sadness, the hysterical misrepresentations of his speech which serves only to drive a wedge between British people."

The Bishop of Hulme, the Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, said he was dismayed at the "knee-jerk" reaction to Dr Williams' comments.

"We have probably one of the greatest and the brightest Archbishops of Canterbury we have had for many a long day," he told BBC Radio 4.

"He is undoubtedly one of the finest minds of this nation.

"The way he has been ridiculed, lampooned and treated by some people and indeed some of the media within this process, is quite disgraceful."

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Holebender · Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:44 am Post subject:

This is what happens when we "respect" 2000 year old cults and afford them an exaggerated status in our society. The sooner there is no place for religion in our legal system the better.

Equality under the law is the absolute bedrock of our society and without that we are nothing.

Ian Bell has a good piece about this in today's Sunday Herald.
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"My instinct is to agree with your opinion of his verse, but I've never so much as glanced at it." - agentmancuso