Much ado about Sharia

Rowan Williams is shocked at the outrage his comments on sharia law have created: issuing clarifications of his lecture on religious and civil law in England and the World at One interview which provoked the furore.

Asim Siddiqui has an excellent commentary, putting the furore into context, though I think he is a little generous to the Archbishop's sagacity. The media may have gone somewhat overboard. But Williams needed to be aware of the impact he will have as a public figure, and given his office, on such a 'hot button' issue. And the views he expresses in the speech and interview are not clear and, at times, do discuss the possibilities and dilemmas of competing juridstictions.


Siddiqui says:

I would argue that the basic objectives of sharia (protection of life, family, dignity, intellect and property) are all covered by British law. The fundamental purpose of sharia is to achieve justice. This country is more just than most. So what more sharia do people want?

The aspects of sharia being considered by the archbishop are restricted to matters of family and finance law, ie civil matters. No one is suggesting introducing the so-called Islamic penal code - so let's not waste time debating something most of us don't want to see in the Muslim world, let alone Britain.

Many critical voices from within the Church of England have asked why the Archbishop seems to be making claims on behalf of Islam, rather than Christianity. What he is trying to do is defend and entrench the claims of faith in the public sphere against the most strident secular voices - and to make common cause across faiths to do that. But this was not the way to achieve that, or to begin a public debate. if that was part of the aim of this lecture, it has backfired spectacularly.