Sharia law in UK is 'unavoidable'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7232661.stm

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The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says the adoption of Islamic Sharia law in the UK is "unavoidable".

Dr Williams told BBC Radio 4's World at One that the UK has to "face up to the fact" that some of its citizens do not relate to the British legal system.

He says Muslims should not have to choose between "the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty".

Dr Williams argues that establishing Sharia law in the UK would help maintain social cohesion.

In an exclusive interview ahead of a lecture to lawyers in London later on Monday, Dr Williams proposes that Muslims be able to choose whether to have issues like marital disputes or financial matters dealt with in Sharia-compliant proceedings or the existing legal system.

Dr Williams argues this relies on Sharia law being better understood. At the moment, he says "sensational reporting of opinion polls" clouds the issue.

He stresses that "nobody in their right mind would want to see in this country the kind of inhumanity that's sometimes been associated with the practice of the law in some Islamic states".