In view of the brouhaha about Archbishop Rowan’s lecture relating to Muslim Shari‘a law, I googled it and read it. I found it to be thoughtful, well informed and almost unreadable. Far from simply calling for the recognition of the Sharia, he reflects on what the implications of such a move might be and how it might be done, as well as discussing various issues of both Sharia and Western law. Basically he seems to say that any recognition of the Sharia would have to leave the secular state with power to enforce basic human rights and would have to give individual Muslims the right to choose whether to live under Sharia law or secular law. It is a shame his lecture was not written in a more accessible way and a double shame that some commentators have substituted shrill condemnation for an effort to understand.
Words © 2008 Irfan Yusuf
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