Why Muslims can be Muslims, but Christians must change

A controversy has erupted over statements made by the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury who suggested that the establishment of some aspects of Islamic law in the British legal system is inevitable.

In a lengthy public address, Archbishop Williams suggested the West is guilty of misundertanding sharia law by seeing only its more extreme elements. This 'soft' stance on a brutal legal system, and his advocacy for elements of that system to be built into the British legal code, have caused harsh reactions from many sectors of England. Prominent reporters have openly questioned his sanity (see Ruth Gledhill's article "Has the Archbishop Gone Bonkers?"). Uncharitable as such accusations are, it seems the world around Rowan is trying to come to grips with his outrageous statements concerning Islam and the West.

In short, Rowan Williams is asking for something far more than toleration. What he is advocating is nothing sort of capitulation. In his view, we must concede even our legal system to extremist religions. As Gledhill stated in her post, 'he is advocating a policy that could only fragment the society around him.'

Interestingly, as Rowan argues for the inclusion of extreme Islamic religious law into England's public sector, the English court system is seeking to strip Christianity of its historical religious tenants. Most recently, an Anglican bishop was ordered to pay a fine and undergo court-mandated "equal opportunities training" because the bishop refused to hire an openly gay man to work as the church's youth director. Mr. Reaney, the gay man refused the job, was awarded £7,000 damages for "psychiatric injury" and £6,000 for "injury to feelings".

But Philip Whealy, spokesman for the Christian Congress for Traditional Values, defended the bishop's actions and stated: "Christians extend God's love to a sinful and hurting world, but that does not mean that they will, or should, lie down and accept a secular redefinition of Biblical morality."

Perhaps Archbishop Rowan Williams should be more concerned with protecting his faith from his own government.