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POLITICIANS have moved to distance themselves from claims by the Archbishop of Canterbury that Sharia law would inevitably be introduced in parts of Britain.Dr Rowan Williams, the leader of the Anglican Church, said recognising Sharia law would improve community cohesion.Its introduction would mean Britain's 1.8 million Muslims no longer having to choose between "the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty".Dr Williams' remarks in an interview on the BBC's World at One programme provoked a furore and Downing Street quickly rejected the idea, insisting that British law had to be in tune with "British values".Alex Salmond's office also said there were no plans to incorporate Sharia law into Scots law.But Dr Williams stressed that Sharia law was too often seen through biased media reports solely as decreeing brutal punishments such as beheadings.He said it could instead be "constructively accommodated" to resolve marital disputes rather than the divorce courts."In some cultural and religious settings, they (Sharia laws] would seem more appropriate."He added: "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."Dr Williams said Orthodox Jewish courts already operated in the UK, and anti-abortion views of Catholics and other Christians were "accommodated within the law". But the remarks provoked alarm in the government yesterday, and Downing Street quickly moved to dismiss the possibility of Sharia law having any jurisdiction in Britain.Gordon Brown's spokesman said: "Our general position is that Sharia law cannot be used as a justification for committing breaches of English law."Nor should the principles of Sharia law be included in a civil court for resolving contractual disputes. "The Prime Minister believes that British law should apply in this country, based on British values."A Scottish Government spokeswoman also said: "We respect and welcome cultural diversity in Scotland.The development of all government policy has regard to different cultural needs. Our laws are based on universal values of equality, respect and human rights – applicable to every person in Scotland."But Mohammed Shafiq, director of the Ramadhan Foundation, welcomed the comments.He said:"These comments further underline the attempts by both our great faiths to build respect and tolerance."Trevor Phillips, the chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said Dr Williams' comments were "muddled and unhelpful". He added: "Raising this idea in this way will give fuel to anti-Muslim extremism and dismay everyone who is working towards a more integrated society."He warned that Sharia law could threaten the protection given to children in custody cases or women in divorce proceedings. "There is a fundamental principle here: when you appear before a court in Britain you appear as a citizen, equal to any other, and you should be treated equally to any other."There can be no opt-outs. If we abandon that principle, the first who would suffer would be ethnic-minority citizens."CODE FOR MUSLIM LIFE
ISLAMIC Sharia law, controversial in the West for the extreme nature of some of its punishments, is a legal and social code designed to help Muslims in their daily lives.It is derived from the Koran and based on precedent as well as interpretation, so there are no static laws. Sharia rules can govern diet, worship, marriage and behaviour.In the UK, the Treasury has changed a law to ensure that Muslims who take out Sharia-compliant mortgages do not have to pay stamp duty twice.Because paying interest is illegal under Islamic law, Muslim borrowers hand over ownership of a property to a bank and pay "rent" until the debt is paid off. Ownership then transfers back from the bank.Sharia law is also applied in some marriages between Muslims. It gives men the universal right to divorce their wives.A woman who wishes to be divorced usually needs the consent of her husband but is allowed to dissolve the marriage if she can show a judge her husband is impotent.Much like laws in Britain, Sharia laws are often the subject of debate and dispute.
As in the days of Noah....
