The Principled Conservative, David Davis, Resigns Position as Shadow Home Secretary in Protest Over the Erosion of British Freedoms
Photo of David Davis courtesy of the Daily Express
DAILY EXPRESS: SHADOW home secretary David Davis has today resigned as an MP to take a stand against the relentless erosion of British freedom by the Government.

Mr Davis said he was forcing a by-election to protest against the “insidious” erosion of civil liberties in Britain.



The move comes in the wake of yesterday's victory for the Government over the 42-day terror detention plan.



The Tory frontbencher spearheaded the Conservatives’ failed bid to defeat the Government over extending detention without charge, which caused disquiet among some Tory MPs.



Speaking this lunchtime Mr Davis said he acting against "the slow strangulation of fundamental British freedoms by this Government". 



As the resignation drama unfolded in Westminster, a Lib Dem spokeswoman confirmed the party would not be fielding a candidate in the resulting Howden and Haltemprice by-election - giving Mr Davis a clear run against a Labour candidate. [Source: David Davis Quits in Stand Against the Erosion of British Freedom] By Julia White | June 12, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers
The Dawning of a New Dark Age –Paperback, direct from the publishers

The Church Should Have the Guts to Sack the Archbishop…and Pick a Man Who Truly Treasures British Values
Photo of the Archbishop of Canterbury courtesy of the Daily Mail
DAILY MAIL: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is fighting for his professional life after saying that the application of Islamic Sharia law in this country was "unavoidable" and that it was not an "alien and rival system" to English law.

The unprecedented outpouring of fury at his observations has caused people to question his fitness for office, with at least two members of the Synod already calling upon him to resign.

In his defence, his supporters claim the entire row has been got up by the "tabloid press".

This old chestnut ignores the fact that people went ballistic straight after they heard Dr Williams say on the radio that the principle of one law for everybody was "a bit of a danger" - well before any newspapers even wrote their stories.

And now this lame self-justification has been blown out of the water by devastating criticism from his predecessor Lord Carey, who said Dr Williams had "overstated the case for accommodating Islamic legal codes" within British law, a move which would be "disastrous".

This followed equally lethal criticism by the Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, who said sharia was "in tension" with fundamental principles of English law.

So much for the ludicrous claim that Sharia was not a "rival and alien system".

What such critics understand only too well is the threat posed to this country by a brand of radicalised Islam, or Islamism, that wants to take it over.

As Lord Carey said, Dr Williams's comments will embolden those Muslims in their attempt to turn Britain into a country ruled by Islamic law which contravenes human rights.

The only proper response to this threat is to say that not one inch of leeway will be given to it.

But, instead, the Archbishop has gone down on his knees to welcome it.

Astoundingly, he does not seem to understand that this country is being targeted by a pincer movement of terrorism and cultural takeover.

He does not seem to understand Sharia. And he does not seem to understand the role of his own religion in underpinning British laws, culture and society. The church should have the guts to sack the Archbishop...and pick a man who TRULY treasures British values >>> By Melanie Phillips

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

The Archbishop of Canterbury Has No Intention of Resigning
JERUSALEM POST: The archbishop of Canterbury has no intention of resigning over his suggestion that Britain's legal system should accommodate aspects of traditional Islamic law, a Church of England official said Sunday. The Archbishop of Canterbury has no intention of resigning >>>

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Archbishop Under Pressure to Quit
BBC: The Archbishop of Canterbury continues to face calls for his resignation despite attempts to defuse the row over his Islamic Sharia law comments.

Dr Rowan Williams has been condemned from inside and outside his church for saying the adoption of parts of the law was "unavoidable" in Britain.

At least two General Synod members have called for him to quit and he has been heckled as he left a church service.

But supporters say his comments have been misinterpreted.

The archbishop is said to be shocked and hurt by the hostility his comments have provoked, and on his website he said he "certainly did not call for its introduction as some kind of parallel jurisdiction to the civil law".

However the criticism mounted as his predecessor Lord George Carey accused Dr Williams of overstating the case for accommodating Islamic legal codes. ’Brilliant scholar’ >>>

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Archbishop Faces Calls to Quit

NZZ Online:
Rücktritt von Erzbischof gefordert

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

The Archbishop of Canterbury Faces Calls for His Resignation
THE TELEGRAPH: The Archbishop of Canterbury faced calls for his resignation yesterday as bishops joined politicians in criticising his remarks supporting the adoption of sharia law.

Dr Rowan Williams was urged to quit by angry members of the General Synod, the Church's "parliament", who claimed he was undermining the Christian faith.

Lord Carey, his predecessor, and the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, also challenged his view that aspects of Islamic law could be incorporated into the English legal system.

The row erupted on Thursday when Dr Williams suggested that the introduction of Muslim laws into the UK was "unavoidable".
The strength of the backlash represents one of the most serious blows to the Archbishop's authority since his appointment five years ago. He faces more pressure when the Synod convenes for a five-day meeting in London on Monday.

Last night friends of the Archbishop said he was "completely overwhelmed" by the hostility of the response and in a "state of shock" at the barrage of criticism. Rowan Williams faces calls to resign >>> By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent

DAILY MAIL:
Sharia law row: Archbishop is in shock as he faces demands to quit By Steve Doughty and Michael Seamark

DAILY MAIL:
Sharia UK: What exactly does it mean? By Richard Pendlebury

NZZ Online:
Erzbischof verteidigt sich nach Scharia-Äusserungen: Gegen Einführung eines «parallelen Rechtssystems»

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Pressure Mounts on the Archbishop of Canterbury to Resign
THE GUARDIAN: The Archbishop of Canterbury has hit back over criticism of his comments on sharia law, amid growing calls for his resignation.

Dr Rowan Williams made no proposals for sharia, and "certainly did not call for its introduction as some kind of parallel jurisdiction to the civil law", a statement on his website said.

He was "exploring ways in which reasonable accommodation might be made within existing arrangements for religious conscience" and his core aim was "to tease out some of the broader issues around the rights of religious groups within a secular state".

However, at least two Synod members have already called for the Archbishop to go and he has faced criticism from leading bishops, secular groups and Government figures.

Colonel Edward Armitstead, a Synod member from the diocese of Bath and Wells, told the Daily Telegraph: "I don't think he is the man for the job. One wants to be charitable, but I sense that he would be far happier in a university where he can kick around these sorts of ideas."

Brigadier William Dobbie, a former member, described him as "a disaster, a tragic mistake".

The Archbishop was said to be overwhelmed by the hostility of the response to his comments, but some have leapt to his defence. The Bishop of Hulme, the Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, said he was appalled at the "knee-jerk" reaction to a serious piece of academic work. Pressure mounts in sharia law row >>>

BBC:
Williams shocked at sharia row

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Muslim Reaction to Shariah Row

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

The ‘Archbishop of Cowardice’ ‘Should Resign’ Over Shariah Row

TIMESONLINE: A senior Church of England clergyman called today for the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, over his remarks supporting Sharia in England.

The call, from a long-standing member of the Church's governing body, the General Synod, demonstrated the strength of the backlash Dr Williams that faces from within his own Church — as well as from political and other faith leaders.

The senior Synod member, who insisted on remaining anonymous, told The Times: "A lot of people will now have lost confidence in him. I am just so shocked, and cannot believe a man of his intelligence could be so gullible. I can only assume that all the Muslims he meets are senior leaders of the community who tell him what a wonderful book the Koran is.

"There have been a lot of calls today for him to resign. I don't suppose he will take any notice, but yes, he should resign."

The Bishop of Southwark, the Right RevTom Butler, also challenged the Archbishop's comments. "It will take a great deal more thought and work before I think it's a good idea," he said.

Although the means of forcing an archbishop out of office are so costly and arcane — short of his committing a criminal act, he could never be made to go — the row represents the most serious threat to the authority of his office since he became Archbishop five years ago. Archbishop of Canterbury 'should resign' over Sharia row >>> By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent, and Joanna Sugden

TIMESONLINE:
Why the Archbishop is Wrong about Sharia

TIMESONLINE:
Sharia in Britain: the reaction

TIMESONLINE:
Archbishop of Canterbury argues for Islamic law in Britain

DAILY EXPRESS:
’Muslim Laws Must Come to Britain’

DAILY MAIL:
Bishops' backlash as Archbishop of Canterbury defends calls for sharia law

THE TELEGRAPH:
Bishop: Impossible to have sharia law in UK By Jonathan Petre, Andrew Porter and Gordon Rayner

TELEGRAPH TV VIDEO:
More on the Shariah Row

NZZ Online:
Scharia-Justiz für britische Muslime?: Merkwürdige Gedanken des Erzbischofs von Canterbury

«Katastrophe für den Zusammenhalt der Gesellschaft»: Kritik an Scharia-Äusserungen von anglikanischem Erzbischof

DIE ZEIT:
London: Erzbischof befürwortet Scharia

LE FIGARO:
Le primat des anglicans n'exclut pas la charia Par Cyrille Vanlerberghe, correspondant à Londres

LE MONDE:
Pour l'archevêque de Cantorbéry, l'adoption pour partie de la charia est "inévitable"

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)