Archbishop sorry for 'unclarity' but insists Sharia debate right

Published on Monday 11 February 2008 21:38

A HUMBLED Archbishop of Canterbury was yesterday forced to clarify his remarks on Sharia law after admitting they had caused "distress" – but insisted he was right to raise the controversial subject.

Dr Rowan Williams told the General Synod that some of the points he had tried to make about Sharia law being recognised in English law had been "distorted" as the debate raged for a fifth day.

But he stressed that the Church had a "burden and privilege" to speak up for all faith communities, adding: "I hope we can use it well – however clumsily it may have been deployed in this instance."

The Anglican leader triggered a furore last week after he suggested in an interview – given ahead of a more comprehensive lecture on Thursday – that it was inevitable that elements of Sharia law would be recognised by the state.

He faced calls to quit from at least two synod members, while his predecessor, Lord (George) Carey also challenged his comments on Sharia law.

However, addressing the Church of England's ruling body yesterday, Dr Williams insisted: "It is not inappropriate to address issues around perceived concerns of other religious communities and bringing them to better public focus.

"I must take responsibility for any unclarity and for any misleading choice of words that has helped to cause distress or misunderstanding among the public at large, and especially among my fellow Christians."

Dr Williams said he had not been suggesting a "parallel jurisdiction", with Sharia law running alongside the UK legal system.

He added: "I tried to make clear there could be no 'blank cheques' in this regard, in particular as regards some of the sensitive questions about the status and liberties of women.

"The law of the land still guarantees for all the basic components of human dignity."

He said questions remained about whether there could be "additional choices" under the law for "resolving disputes and regulating transactions".

Meanwhile, Gordon Brown yesterday gave his backing to the beleaguered Archbishop, despite instantly dismissing his suggestions last week.

The Prime Minister phoned Dr Williams over the weekend to tell him that, while he disagreed with him over Sharia law, he had always respected him.

Mr Brown's spokesman said: "The Prime Minister believes the Archbishop is a man of great integrity and dedication to public and community service and understands the difficulty he is facing."

One of Mr Brown's first acts on taking over as Prime Minister was to relinquish the duty of choosing the Church of England's bishops.

Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said: "The Archbishop has dug himself in deeper with his call for special legal privileges for all religions. (He] seems insensitive to where 'religious conscience' ends and discrimination begins."

But Canon Chris Sugden, of the Anglican Mainstream organisation, said a full apology was the only response Dr Williams should give. He added that the row had caused great difficulties for Anglicans in countries such as Nigeria, where there was significant "Muslim pressure" for Sharia law to come into force.

BIRTHS ROW

DOWNING Street has tried to distance itself from a row over the potential birth defects caused by first-cousin marriages in parts of the Pakistani community.

Gordon Brown's spokesman said: "The government's position is we believe these matters are best addressed locally, by local members of the community, as well as by professional healthcare advisers."