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February 08, 2008
A "Meddlesome Priest" Indeed
Rick Moran
Henry II was said to utter "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?" when he wanted his conflict with the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Beckett over the power of the church to end.
Beckett was assassinated and became hero and martyr to the church for his fierce defense of the independence of the church. Too bad the current Archbishop of Canterbury couldn't emulate his predecessor in the courage department:
The adoption of some aspects of Islamic Sharia law in Britain "seems unavoidable", the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.
Dr Rowan Williams said other religions enjoyed tolerance of their own laws, and called for "constructive accommodation" with Muslim practice in areas such as marital disputes.
Dr Williams backs adopting parts of Islamic Sharia law But he stressed that it could never be allowed to take precedence over an individual's rights as a citizen.
Asked if the adoption of Sharia law was necessary for community cohesion, Dr Williams told the BBC: "It seems unavoidable and, as a matter of fact, certain conditions of Sharia are already recognised in our society and under our law, so it is not as if we are bringing in an alien and rival system.
"We already have in this country a number of situations in which the internal law of religious communities is recognised by the law of the land as justifying conscientious objections in certain circumstances." The law is not a lifestyle choice as the Archbishop seems to be saying here. Is Great Britain now to legalize honor killings? Or deny British citizens - Muslim or not - the full panoply of rights that have been built up over the centuries? How about Muslim women who are British citizens? Do they suddenly become second class citizens, the virtual property of their fathers and husbands?
Only a fool would advocate what the Archbishop is saying will be "inevitable." Let us hope that the only thing inevitable in England will be the removal of this simple minded nincompoop from any position of power and influence.
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