Sharia, Anglican-Style

AT what point does otherworldliness become mere stupidity? At what point does woolly benevolence become vanity and spiritual pride? At what point does willful blindness become plain cowardice? At what point does intellectual incoherence become downright dishonesty?

These are but a few of the questions raised by the recent pronouncements of Rowan Williams, present archbishop of Canterbury and successor to St. Anselm. In a lecture to an audience of distinguished lawyers, including the lord chief justice of England, Williams appeared to say (and whatever Williams says, one must always add that he appears to say it, for he rarely makes his meaning sufficiently clear that it is beyond dispute) that elements of sharia law ought to share jurisdiction with British law. As he had just said over the BBC that it seemed “unavoidable” that sharia would become part of British law, his remarks caused a furor.

About the Author

Anthony Daniels

Mr. Daniels, a retired doctor who worked in several parts of the world, is the author of Mass Listeria, a book about health scares.

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AT what point does otherworldliness become mere stupidity? At what point does woolly benevolence become vanity and spiritual pride? At what point does willful blindness become plain cowardice? At what point does intellectual incoherence become downright dishonesty?

These are but a few of the questions raised by the recent pronouncements of Rowan Williams, present archbishop of Canterbury and successor to St. Anselm. In a lecture to an audience of distinguished lawyers, including the lord chief justice of England, Williams appeared to say (and whatever Williams says, one must always add that he appears to say it, for he rarely makes his meaning sufficiently clear that it is beyond dispute) that elements of sharia law ought to share jurisdiction with British law. As he had just said over the BBC that it seemed “unavoidable” that sharia would become part of British law, his remarks caused a furor.