Afternoon:
10°c
Sharia law in Britain 'a recipe for social chaos'
Nicholas Cecil and Jason Beattie8 Feb 2008
The Archbishop of Canterbury's claim that it seems "unavoidable" that some form of sharia law will be introduced in Britain today came under attack from his own senior clergy.
The Bishop of Southwark the Right Reverend Tom Butler cast doubts on the argument that the Islamic law will come into force in the UK.
He said: "It will take a great deal more thought and work before I think it's a good idea."
Asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme whether the Church of England leader, Dr Rowan Williams, should have been more diplomatic in his speech which sparked the controversy, Dr Butler said: "The Archbishop has a way with language but this was a very heavy lecture."
He admitted that the Dr Williams had entered a "minefield" with his views on sharia law and it was not clear whether he would backtrack on behalf of the Church of England, on this issue.
He said: "Like all bishops I'm waking up this morning to a shoal of emails from clergy asking what's going on."
Culture Secretary Andy Burnham also launched a ferocious backlash against the Archbishop of Canterbury's claims about sharia law. The Cabinet minister warned against such a radical legal shake-up in the UK stressing it would be a "recipe for social chaos".
Dr Williams faced a barrage of criticism for arguing that sharia law should be given some form of legal status in the UK. Voicing the views of many MPs, Mr Burnham said: "This isn't a path down which we should go. The system, the British legal system, should apply to everybody equally.
"You cannot run two systems of law alongside each other. That in my view would be a recipe for chaos, social chaos. British law has to be based on British values.
"If people choose to live in this country, they choose to abide by that law and that law alone. It has got to be fundamental and a cornerstone of our country and our democracy that everybody is equal before that one system of British law."
Dr Williams had made clear, ahead of his speech at the Royal Courts of Justice on sharia law, that he expected it to spark debate.
But he is likely to be taken back by the level of outrage that he has sparked across the country.
He believes that allowing sharia law to be used to resolve family and financial disputes could help social cohesion in the UK but people should be given the choice of which legal system they wanted to use.
But Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission warned that the "implication" that British courts should treat people differently based on their faith was "divisive and dangerous".
He added: "It risks removing the protection afforded by law, for example, to children in custody cases or women in divorce proceedings."
Gordon Brown, who is said to have a good relationship with the Archbishop, also intervened in the row despite the Government's reluctance to confront Church leaders.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman stressed that he "believes that British laws should be based on British values".
Labour MP Khalid Mahmood said: "The Archbishop's comments run the risk of further alienating the Muslim community and causing resentment against the 'special treatment' they are receiving.
"I, along with the vast majority of UK Muslims, oppose any such move to introduce Sharia here. British law is the envy of the world."
Home Office Minister Tony McNulty said: "To ask us to fundamentally change the rule of law and to adopt Sharia law, I think, is fundamentally wrong."
The Church of England leader united all three parties in opposition to his remarks. Shadow community cohesion minister Baroness Warsi dismissed the archbishop's comments as "unhelpful" and integration of sharia law as "unacceptable".
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg added: "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."
Reader views (1)
Personally, if the Muslims would like the Sharia Law, they can go and live in a country which already has the Sharia Law. Britain is Britain, and it should not be changed to suit foreigners' needs!
- Ishbel, London UK, 26/08/2008 09:36
Report abuse
