February 7, 2008 [LINK / comment]
The Most Reverend Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, has created quite a stir in Britain by suggesting argues that certain elements of Islamic Sharia law should be adopted so as to "help maintain social cohesion." He seems to think that the cultural diversity of present-day United Kingdom makes it unrealistic to expect everyone to adhere to the same legal code. Of course, he rejects some of the extreme practices such as cutting off of hands of thieves, but still believes that "constructive accommodation" with Muslims is the surest road to social peace. See BBC. This is the man whose primary responsibility is to be a "defender of the faith," in the established Church of England, no less. He seems utterly oblivious to the ambitions of the Islamic radicals.
A succinct rejoinder to Archbishop Williams comes from Johnathan Pearce (via InstaPundit): "Dr Williams means well; a lot of such people do. But frankly, he gives lapsed Christians such as yours truly plenty of reason for wanting the Church to be shorn of its state privileges."
The archbishop also called for new laws to restrict speech that might offend the religious sensibilities of minority groups. So anyone who dared to stand up to those terrorist-sympathizing bullies would face criminal charges. Good Lord... See Sunday Times, via Midwest Conservative Journal, via Barcepundit.
At a time when the Anglican Communion is already tottering on the edge of schism over cultural issues, such statements by the leader are terribly discouraging for members of the flock around the world. Perhaps the decline of Western Civilization is proceeding faster than we had thought.