Sharia law 'unavoidable' in UK

2008-02-07 22:26

London - The introduction of Islamic Sharia law in Britain is "unavoidable" to promote social cohesion and enable Muslims to choose between legal systems, the Archbishop of Canterbury said on Thursday.

The remarks are likely to inflame the debate about the aims and limitations of efforts to integrate Britain's 1.7-million-strong Muslim community.

Archbishop Rowan Williams, who is also the head of the worldwide Anglican Church with more than 70 million members, said in a BBC interview on Thursday that there needed to be a debate on whether the existing legal system could fulfil the demands of a "multi-faith society".

Britain had to "face up to the fact" that some of its citizens did not relate to the British legal system, said Williams.

Muslims should not be forced to choose between "the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty".

Williams proposed that Muslims should be able to choose whether to have issues like marital disputes or financial matters dealt with in Sharia-compliant proceedings or the existing legal system.

He said that a better understanding of Sharia law was required in Britain, where the issue was currently "clouded by sensational reporting".

However, the Archbishop stressed that "nobody in their right mind would want to see in this country the kind of inhumanity that's sometimes been associated with the practice of the law in some Islamic states."

Sapa-dpa

- SAPA