This whole thing is ridiculous. The archbishop is talking about OPTIONAL use of sharia law in relatively minor legal matters. He isn't talking about stoning women for commiting adultery or chopping off the hands of shoplifters. Sharia law would never override our rights and would never apply to non muslims. The archbishop's only mistake was allowing his words to be misinterpreted by the media, which was probably inevitable anyway.

don't understand why people are feeling so much hot under the collar regarding Sharia law. it is nothing to do with other people. Sharia law is entirely a personal matter for the Muslims and is only applied where people wish their affair to be settled and judged according to Shariah. It is irrelevant whether Britain or any other country incorporates it or not . Practicing believing Muslims will always ensure that their personal affairs are settled according to Shariah. The practicing Muslims hardly go to court of any country to sort out personal disputes where Shariah needs to be applied. It is a part of faith. It is already in practice wherever they live. people from UK or any other country who live in Muslim countries don't have sharia law applied in their personal affairs like marriage, divorce or inheritance. it is only applied to Muslims. When people talk about women's rights, they perhaps don't remember that 1400 years ago women had no right any where, Islam gave them the right of inheritance and share in the property of father, husband, son, brother and daughter. As far polgamy is concerned , very Muslims practice it . On the contrary it is most widely practiced in the West and Non Muslim world with a different name-mistresses and a bit on the side. Cheating on wives, having mistresses and multiple secret sexual relationship seems to be far more respectable and desirable than doing it legally and taking responsibility.

Church attendance in the UK is at an all time low, child pregnancies at an all time high, the youth of today have no values, fear and hate of the muslim community steadily increasing, anti-americanism and anti-semitism on the rise and what does this church leader worry about? Will the UK ever get back on track??

If you would take half a second to digest what the archbishop said and not to rant, rave and scream at the word "sharia" you'd note that even the London Beth Din has no problem with this, as quoted by the BBC: DAVID FREI, REGISTRAR OF THE LONDON BETH DIN: "I do believe that under the present legal system so far as arbitration is concerned there is nothing preventing Muslims today resolving their civil disputes by consent under Sharia law. "The arbitration acts provide that people can resolve their disputes in this country under arbitration and they can choose which system to use as well."

Most moslims leave muslim countries because they don't want to live under Sharia. They want to live in democracy. Now Sharia chases them wherever they go. by the way, do you support "honor killing" only of muslims?

take the whole mile.

Ever since 9/11 Tony Blair has been trying to appease British muslims doing everything he could to make them feel welcome and at home in England. Now Blair is gone his succeesors and now the preists are trying to appease the muslims because they are terrified that if muslims dont feel happy in England then they will be willing to help the likes of All Quaida carry out attacks Next thing you know Church of England will be replaced by Mosque of England and the queen replaced by a mullah.

The idea that you can adopt some but not all sharia law is rediculous its either all or nothing or you dont get sharia. Religious based laws you cant pick and choose what you want and what you dont because they are based on what believes its not secular. Theese are supposed to be based on Allahs comands not man made ones so its all or nothing if you want sharia. If you have a car science demands it must have wheeels you cant deecide you want a body but you dont like the idea of having wheels and thats what religious based laws are & once you start down this path you dont know where its going to lead. Time to end the politically correct ideas just say you are in our country and in this country ellected reepresentetives of the people make laws not religious figures in England we live by man made law you dont approove sorry but society decided thats how it should be and if you want to live by sharia go to Iran or Saudi Arabia where they want the same thing as you.

Never heard the expression - *the thin edge of the wedge*?

How about "My Law", let's do things the way I want to. Yeh, let's call it Sharia, that sounds ....cute!

With all due respect, you all omit something from your thinking. If and when Islamic religious leaders admit the validity of the modern western notion of individual human rights, then your various remarks will all be correct. Neither Christian nor Jewish leaders particularly wanted to admit the validity of the notion of rights when it was created in late 1600's and 1700's in Europe. But they ended up having to recognize rights. You all act as though Islamic religious leaders--and the sharia itself--had already worked through this notion of rights. But of course it has not yet done this. Before you rush to respond, please think about whether you yourself would want to live in a political situation in which individual human rights were not the single foundation of the system of laws and governance. Would you want your families to live in such a situation? Personal choice, and the protection of such choice is a relatively recent phenomenon, and given all of our human imperfections, it is still essential to preserve this idea. Please think about this, and ask yourselves whether you honestly feel that Islamic religious leaders of today respect, and will abide by the idea that each person has an individual right to do as he or she wishes. When you can answer "yes" to this, then all of the rest of us will stop worrying. JM

No doubt he means well, but history teaches us that good and well-meaning men who misuse their power can do a great deal of damage. The Church accepted hundreds of years ago that it is not the proper role of religious figures to administer worldly justice and uphold religious law in place of secular law. Dr Rowan Williams may think of himself as a progressive, liberal figure, and he has often been criticised for being a parody of a trendy archbishop, but the measures he proposes would take us back to the Middle Ages.

As a resident of NYC back in the days when Sunday closing were not mandated, I can assure Paul No. 11, that there were no allowances for Jews to observe Shabbat on Saturday. And, if you were unwilling to work on Saaturday, you could lose your job. There were also quotas on Law and medical school attendance, and other things like that. But today, a large part of UK is Muslim and in some areas law officers dare not enter. Sad but true and it could easily happen in US as well.

Hardly the same scenario like for "Cafeteria Catholics' where you have the luxury of only choosing those items you find reasonable or acceptable. The Brits open that Pandora's Box and they'll find their 21st century reality warped & ruined by that medieval Sharia nonsense. "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

Britain ruined the middleeast with its colonial rule and fake borders it and france drew up to control the regions resources. Honestly christians and muslims are practically the same it makes no difference if its sharia or english its still crapy country and crapy un educated ideas.

No18 You are an idiot and complete fool As to the the other idiot, aka the Immam of Canturbury and his verbal diaroeah .......I cannot find the words to express my feelings of anger and resentment.

DAVID FREI, REGISTRAR OF THE LONDON BETH DIN: "I do believe that under the present legal system so far as arbitration is concerned there is nothing preventing Muslims today resolving their civil disputes by consent under Sharia law. "The arbitration acts provide that people can resolve their disputes in this country under arbitration and they can choose which system to use as well." How long will it take for radical Muslims to apply pressure to the law abiding Muslims to adhere to the "complete and true Law of Sharia? One radical Muslim stated, "you cannot apply what you like and discard what you do not" It surprises me that David Frei and the "Druid"can be so niaive