c. 2008 Religion News Service

Williams says Shariah `unavoidable’ in UK laws

LONDON (RNS) Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has triggered a storm of controversy by suggesting that Britain should adopt some aspects of Islam’s tough Shariah law into its legal system.

In a BBC radio interview Thursday (Feb. 7), Williams said the 1.6 million Muslims now living in Britain make that prospect all but “unavoidable” and that “as a matter of fact, certain conditions of Sharia are already recognized in our society.”

He suggested that parts of Sharia dealing with marital disputes and financial affairs could be incorporated into British law. But he pointedly rejected draconian punishments, such as the public beheading or hanging of murderers and drug traffickers, that are practiced in some Islamic societies.

“Nobody in their right mind, I think, would want to see in this country a kind of inhumanity that sometimes appears to be associated with the practice of law in some Islamic states (with) the extreme punishments, the attitude toward women as well,” he said.

But Britain has to “face up to the fact” that thousands of its citizens do not relate to its legal system, Williams said, and what is needed is a “constructive accommodation” with some Muslim practices.

For instance, he proposed a “plural jurisdiction” under which Muslims would be allowed to choose whether some legal disputes could be dealt with secular or Sharia courts.

But the archbishop’s remarks brought furious protests across the country. Trevor Phillips, chairman of the government’s Equality and Human Rights Commission, called them “muddled and unhelpful.”

Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s office said in a statement that Sharia law “cannot be used as justification for committing breaches of English law.” His culture secretary, Andy Burnham, described the archbishop’s proposals as “a recipe for chaos.”

Khalid Mahmood, a Muslim member of Britain’s Parliament, insisted that “the vast majority of UK Muslims oppose any such move to introduce Sharia here” and that “British law is the envy of the world.”

Shaista Gohir, one of the Brown administration’s adviser on Muslim women, said there was no need for Sharia courts in Britain because “the majority of Muslims do not want it.”

_ Al Webb

Dobson endorses Huckabee

(RNS) Focus on the Family founder James Dobson endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on Thursday (Jan. 7), the same day that GOP rival Mitt Romney ended his campaign.

Dobson’s endorsement came after the John McCain surged to the front of the GOP field after winning nine states on Super Tuesday. “That left two pro-family candidates whom I could support, but I was reluctant to choose between them,” Dobson stated.

Dobson had already said he would not support McCain, leaving him with either Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Southern Baptist pastor, or Romney, a former Massachusetts governor whose Mormon faith left some evangelicals troubled.

Romney ended his White House bid on Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington; seeing the start of McCain’s ascendancy, Dobson threw his support to Huckabee later that night.

“ … The decision by Gov. Mitt Romney to put his campaign `on hold’ changes the political landscape. That is why I will support Gov. Huckabee through the remaining primaries, and will vote for him in the general election if he should get the nomination,” said Dobson.

His statement emphasized that he was speaking as a private citizen and not as head of Focus on the Family Action, though that group distributed the press release with his statement.

Though McCain is now widely expected to win the GOP nomination, Dobson did not back away from his disinterest in the maverick senator. Instead he called Huckabee “our best remaining choice for president of the United States.”

James P. Pinkerton, a senior adviser to Huckabee’s campaign, welcomed the endorsement. “We’ve always understood Dr. Dobson’s importance to conservatives and social conservatives across the cross the country, and I think he (Huckabee) has an appeal to both,” Pinkerton said.

At the same time, onetime presidential candidate Gary Bauer, who now heads the Campaign for Working Families, urged calm among conservatives who find McCain distasteful.

“I believe that this race is effectively over,” Bauer said. “I realize that will be hard for some folks to hear.”

_ David Finnigan

Quote of the Day: New Hampshire state Rep. Jason Bedrick

(RNS) “To not shake hands with half your constituents, that qualifies me as a disabled politician.”

_ State Rep. Jason Bedrick, R-N.H., whose Orthodox Jewish faith prohibits him from shaking hands with members of the opposite sex. He was quoted by the Concord Monitor.

KRE/CM END RNS