Updated Tuesday morning, Thursday morning and Friday morning
Official report : General Synod – Summary of Business Conducted on Monday 11th February 2008 PM
This includes links to audio recordings of all the items.
Church Times
Day one: Monday
Synod welcomes Dr Williams’s robust defence
Press Association Williams defends sharia law debate
Reuters Williams defends right to raise Islamic law
BBC
Williams in synod Sharia address
Archbishop guilty of innocence by Alex Kirby
PM extends support to archbishop by Laura Kuenssberg
Guardian
Archbishop defends his comments on Sharia law Riazat Butt Paper version: Archbishop defends sharia law remarks but admits his words may have lacked clarity
A very Anglican resurrection by Andrew Brown
Williams, sharia and a mea culpa … of sorts by Stephen Bates
In an age of red-top fury, here is a hero by Giles Fraser
Guardian leader: Wounded and wiser
The Times
Synod backs Archbishop in Sharia controversy by Philippe Naughton and Ruth Gledhill headline now changed to ‘Sorry for any confusion but it is my right and duty to talk about religion and the law’
St Rowan seeks forgiveness for the sin of ‘unclarity’ by Alan Hamilton
Daily Telegraph
Archbishop won’t back down over sharia row by Jonathan Petre
Dr Rowan Williams may suffer lasting damage by Jonathan Petre
Synod fails to cast first stone at Archbishop by Andrew Gimson
Dr Rowan Williams’s gift to Gordon Brown by Rachel Sylvester
Telegraph leader: Dr Rowan Williams’s words were understood
Daily Mail
‘I was right to speak out on sharia law,’ says Archbishop by Steven Doughty
He stood there, hands clasped in front of him, the beard moving roughly in sync with his lips by Quentin Letts
Independent
Williams tries to defuse row over sharia law but refuses to apologise by Jonathan Brown
Clumsy maybe, but not sorry by Paul Vallely
Episcopal News Service
Canterbury defends Sharia comments in General Synod address by Matthew Davies
Church Society
General Synod Report 11 February 2008
‘He really does believe that he stands for all religious believers in resisting the march of a secularisation which would leave no room for the religious informed conscience.’ But this is the problem. Williams is not speaking here for all religious believers even in his own Church, let alone elsewhere. Many do not see the ‘march’ of secularisation as a threat in the least, but rather a guarantor against the worst and most bigoted aspects of religiously informed consciences. As I posted on the last thread, he should at least have recognised the way in which he let down progressive… Read more »
The inter-connection of different legal systems (parts of Islamic Law which is basically ancient Egyptian law, much modified, sometimes does get applied by Western courts ;=) is one of the most difficult areas in International Law.
The Germans rightly call it Professorenrecht, because it is so little approachable.
What induced poor Dr Rowan to think he had anything to contribute?
This seems an example (amongst many) of the limitedness (and un-awareness of the same) of modern theologians (hardly capable when it comes to the Bible).
The isolation of the Ebony Tower.
John Omani: I agree with what you say above. It is interesting that along with the predictable outraged nutters commenting on the Archbishop’s views on the BBC news website debate, there is a significant number of liberal British Muslims who don’t want to be expected to come under a separate legal framework just because of the religion of their parents.
Martin O’Neill is right that RW is concerned to question secularism. It goes without saying that all monopolies should be questioned; but all the more so when there are fundamental questions about their philosophical viability (circularity? gratuitously limited horizons?).
Christopher: I don’t think that Christians can afford to sneer at “secularists” as having “limited horizons”. The C of E is very publicly displaying its own limited horizons to the wider world in its failure to deal with the gay issue. “Secularists,” if there is such a category, may well include people who have much wider horizons than, for example, the Bishop of Winchester, who argued strongly for allowing divorcees to be remarried in church, and is now arguing vociferously that gay clergy should not be allowed to talk about their experience of being in stable loving relationships. His answer… Read more »
Christopher,
having faith is not in itself a guarantor of an open questioning mind. You just need to look at the fundamentalists of all faiths.
Openness and true engagement with life cuts across all faiths and none, just as bigotry and closed minds can be found everywhere too.
“goes without saying that all monopolies should be questioned” Unless of course it is the monopoly traditionally enjoyed by the Christian faith to set the moral and, often, legal agenda of Western society. You were one of the ones defending the Christian monopoly when it comes to descrimination of the provision of services, if I remember, Christopher: a hotel shouldn’t have to rent to gays if the owner has what you would consider perfectly reasonable Christian objections for doing so. You seem to think Christian attitudes towards sex education, abortion, homosexuality, at least as far forth as your particular sect… Read more »