Michael Nazir-Ali Steps Down as Bishop of Rochester
With the resignation of the Bishop of Rochester, the Church of England is about to lose one of its most able bishops. Dr Nazir-Ali has courted controversy because he has not been afraid of telling the people of Britian some home truths. As a result of this propensity to warn of the decreasing influence of Christianity in the United Kingdom and the increasing influence of Islam, he has made himself unpopular with the liberal élite which now dominates the increasingly left-leaning, almost Marxist Church. Clearly there in no room for such an able cleric in the enfeabled Church of England, now under the clumsy leadership of the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

The Archbishop is a man who spends more time appeasing Muslims than he does trying to fill the emptying churches. (When did he last preach the Gospel?) He is also busy preparing the docile people of this ‘Sceptered Isle’ for what’s ahead of them: The “inevitable” introduction of Shari’ah law, he believes! You know the law he was talking about – that barbaric set of laws which Muslims mistakenly believe come from Allah (not God). The set of laws which determine that women be stoned to death for adultery, that homosexuals be put to death, that thieves be relieved of their limbs, and that people who drink alcohol be punished severely, usually by being whipped.

Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, a man whio truly understands Islam – his father was a convert to Christianity from that faith – would actually be the best man for the position of Archbishop of Canterbury. His retirement from the Anglican Church is therefore a sad and great loss at a time when the Church can ill afford such losses. – ©Mark

THE TELEGRAPH: The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali has announced his decision to step down as the Bishop of Rochester, one of the most senior positions in the Church of England.


The Rev Michael Nazir-Ali has spoken out against the rise of secularisation in UK society, and the dangers of the rise of Islam in the country. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Although Dr Nazir-Ali has been in charge of the Rochester diocese for nearly 15 years, the decision to quit - which will see him leave his post later this year - has come as a surprise.

The bishop is aged only 59 and potentially could have stayed in post for another decade.

He was a leading contender to succeed George Carey as Archbishop of Canterbury, but has become increasingly outspoken at the direction of the Church since Dr Rowan Williams’s appointment.

A spokesman for the bishop said that he wants to turn his attention to working with the persecuted church.

"Bishop Michael is hoping to work with a number of church leaders from areas where the church is under pressure, particularly in minority situations, who have asked him to assist them with education and training for their particular situation," he said.

Dr Nazir-Ali, who became the Church’s first Asian bishop when he was appointed to Rochester in 1994, has taken a strong stand against the rise of Islam in Britian.

He warned last year that parts of the country have been turned into "no-go" areas for non-Muslims and challenged Dr Williams’s claim that the introduction of sharia law is unavoidable.

As a result of his warning, the bishop received death threats saying he would not "live long" and would be "sorted out" if he continued to criticise Islam. >>> By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, March 28, 2009

KENT ONLINE: Offensive Word Insult to Bishop of Rochester

The Bishop of Rochester has been branded an "arsehole" by an aide to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The slur against the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali appeared in an official document sent to 43 diocesan bishops and 10 Downing Street.

The insult, which referred to the "arsehole Bishop of Rochester", appeared in a confidential list of job vacancies and prospective candidates.

The offensive word had been inserted in front of the Bishop's name. It is thought the person who added insult has been dismissed. >>> Luke Hollands | Saturday, March 28, 2009

TELEGRAPH BLOGS – Jonathan Wynne-Jones: Bishop of Rochester Is Stepping Down

An email has just dropped in my inbox revealing that Michael Nazir-Ali is stepping down as the Bishop of Rochester.
Still only 59, his decision to resign so early begs many questions.

The offical explanation is as follows: "he is hoping to work with a number of church leaders from areas where the church is under pressure, particularly in minority situations, who have asked him to assist them with education and training for their particular situation."

That he has a passion for supporting and defending the persecuted church is not in doubt.

But his decision has almost certainly been influenced by the dismay he feels at the direction that the Church of England has taken under Rowan Williams. >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones | Saturday, March 28, 2009

TIMESONLINE: Bishop of Rochester to Resign a Decade Early

One of the Church of England's most outspoken bishops has announced that he is to resign a decade early to devote the rest of his life to work with Christians in Islamic areas.

The Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, the Church's only Asian bishop, who is just 59 and could have stayed at Rochester until his 70th birthday, intends to use his expertise as an Islamic scholar to work in Pakistan where he was born and in the Middle East to build bridges between Christians and Muslims.

A conservative evangelical, he will step down in September after nearly 15 years in the diocese.

Dr Michael Nazir-Ali was one of the favourites to succeed Dr George Carey as Archbishop of Canterbury. Opposition from some in Britain's Muslim community is thought to have been one factor that cost him the job.

In February last year he was placed under police protection after he and his family received death threats over his claim that parts of Britain had become “no-go areas” for non-Muslims. >>> Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent | Saturday, March 28, 2009

THE TELEGRAPH:
Bishop Warns of No-go Zones for Non-Muslims >>> By Jonathan Wynne-Jones | Friday, April 18, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: Extremism Flourished as UK Lost Christianity

In fewer than 50 years, Britain has changed from being a society with an acknowledged Christian basis to one which is increasingly described by politicians and the media as "multifaith".

One reason for this is the arrival of large numbers of people of other faiths to these shores. Their arrival has coincided with the end of the Empire which brought about a widespread questioning of Britain's role.

On the one hand, the British were losing confidence in the Christian vision which underlay most of the achievements and values of the culture and, on the other, they sought to accommodate the newer arrivals on the basis of a novel philosophy of "multiculturalism".

This required that people should be facilitated in living as separate communities, continuing to communicate in their own languages and having minimum need for building healthy relationships with the majority.

Alongside these developments, there has been a worldwide resurgence of the ideology of Islamic extremism. One of the results of this has been to further alienate the young from the nation in which they were growing up and also to turn already separate communities into "no-go" areas where adherence to this ideology has become a mark of acceptability.

Those of a different faith or race may find it difficult to live or work there because of hostility to them and even the risk of violence. In many ways, this is but the other side of the coin to far-Right intimidation.

Attempts have been made to impose an "Islamic" character on certain areas, for example, by insisting on artificial amplification for the Adhan, the call to prayer.

Such amplification was, of course, unknown throughout most of history and its use raises all sorts of questions about noise levels and whether non-Muslims wish to be told the creed of a particular faith five times a day on the loudspeaker.

This is happening here even though some Muslim-majority communities are trying to reduce noise levels from multiple mosques announcing this call, one after the other, over quite a small geographical area.

There is pressure already to relate aspects of the sharia to civil law in Britain. To some extent this is already true of arrangements for sharia-compliant banking but have the far-reaching implications of this been fully considered?

It is now less possible for Christianity to be the public faith in Britain.

The existence of chapels and chaplaincies in places such as hospitals, prisons and institutions of further and higher education is in jeopardy either because of financial cuts or because the authorities want "multifaith" provision, without regard to the distinctively Christian character of the nation's laws, values, customs and culture. >>> By Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester | Friday, January 11, 2009

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