THE TELEGRAPH: The Archbishop of Canterbury has refused to back down over his controversial comments on Islamic law, but admitted his intervention had been "clumsy".
Dr Rowan Williams said much of the storm he had provoked last week when he argued that aspects of sharia could be incorporated in the English legal system had been based on misunderstandings.
Speaking to the General Synod in London, the Church's "parliament", he insisted it was "not inappropriate for a pastor of the Church of England" to address issues about the "perceived concerns of other religious communities".
However, he failed to quell all the criticism from within the Synod, a handful of members of which have called for his resignation.
While the vast majority rallied to his defence by greeting his arrival with a sustained minute-long standing ovation, a small number refused to join in the applause.
After his speech, Canon Christopher Sugden, a conservative evangelical from Oxford, challenged Dr William's arguments and called for an emergency debate, saying sharia law could never be subservient to any other system. Canon Sugden, of the Anglican Mainstream organization, claimed a full apology was the only response the Archbishop could give.
"He has caused great difficulties for our colleagues, especially in Nigeria, especially in countries where there is significant Muslim pressure for sharia to come in," he said. Archbishop won’t back down over sharia row >>> By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
THE TELEGRAPH:
Dr Rowan Williams's gift to Gordon Brown By Rachel Sylvester
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