Times Online
Archbishop was 'misguided' reveals survey of top Brits, 22 February 2008
by Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of The Times
More than a third of Britain’s most influential people think the Archbishop of Canterbury was “misguided” to suggest that some elements of Islamic law might be recognised in Britain. One in seven believes he should resign, according to a survey seen by The Times. But nearly one in three welcomes his views as part of the debate, and one in ten said he was right to speak out.
The survey comes in the wake of the most controversial intervention in public life made so far by Dr Rowan Williams, who was appointed to Canterbury five years ago. He told BBC Radio 4 that the introduction of some elements of sharia law "seems unavoidable" and warned of a "danger" in the principle of "one law for everybody." He went on to deliver a lecture to lawyers and judges at the Royal Court of Justice, where he suggested a scheme of "supplementary" or "plural" jurisdiction in which "individuals retain the liberty to choose the jurisdiction under which they will seek to resolve certain carefully specified matters."
The Archbishop, said to be "horrified" by the public condemnation heaped on him by even the most liberal commentators, subsequently apologised to the Church of England's General Synod for any "unclarity" and said he had not intended to argue for a system of "parallel jurisdiction". Earlier this week, at a lecture in Cambridge, he conceded that some practices of sharia law were "grim" and "appalling".
YouGovStone, an opinion research agency set up last year by business consultant Carole Stone, surveyed more than 1,000 senior individuals drawn from the worlds of politics, business, media, charity and academia.
Fourteen per cent of the survey respondents said the Archbishop should resign. One said: "The Archbishop is an offensive twit…and should be forced out of his position…” Another said “Rowan Williams should stand up and lead the Anglican Communion or resign and let someone in who will.”
Six per cent felt the Archbishop should retract what he said. However, there was also some support for the Archbishop, with 29 per cent welcoming his views as part of the debate and 36 per cent saying he was misguided. One in ten said they felt he was right to speak out even if they did not personally agree with what he said.
One respondent said: “Dr Williams should have been more politically astute, but has at least contributed to a debate which must surely be given airtime and mature, honest engagement.” Another said: “The Archbishop’s comments have opened up a worthwhile debate however it did not go far enough."
Outright support for the Archbishop was low. Just two per cent said they support what he is saying while one per cent said his comments should have gone further.
The survey was completed online between 13 and 20 February by 1,056 "influential" people, those at the top of their chosen field. The sample was recruited from the extensive network of contacts built up by Ms Stone, who was for many years producer of the BBC's Any Questions.
One of those surveyed, the writer and broadcaster Joan Bakewell, told The Times that the Archbishop had increased awareness of sharia and that was "useful". She praised him for putting the issue onto the public agenda.
But she added: "He is not very good at making clear what he means. Everyone praises his intellect and I admire the man himself, but he does seem unable to express himself in language that the ordinary person can comprehend. That is a real problem for him. I could see where he was coming from. It was just very muddled."
Paul Brooks, Executive Director of Project Hope, said: "I welcome the comments he made. I feel it was brave, and possibly naive, on his part to open up a very, very important debate that the country is going to have to have at some point and might as well have now. I was dismayed at the way some of the tabloids got hold of it and built upon the fears people have and the Islamophobia that is at large in certain parts of the country. There is a real debate that needs to be had."
Julian Boles, Director General of the British Gemmological Institute, an government accredited laboratory, said: "It did strike me he was misinterpreted. But I think it was perhaps not the wisest thing to go ahead and say that, and not foresee the misunderstanding that can take place. Obviously nobody wants people being stoned, and that naturally could not have been what he was thinking of. But there was a large space for misinterpretation, and it was a shame he did not foresee that. He is clearly such a clever man and well-read, and his heart is in the right place. He was obviously trying to find a consensus between the different groups. One has to move gently through these minefields."
Although Dr Williams could remain in office for another 13 years, until he is 70, the furore has prompted bookmakers to start taking bets on his successor. Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, as 2-1 favourite, the Bishop of London, the Right Rev Richard Chartres, at 3-1 and the Bishop of Portsmouth, Dr Kenneth Stevenson, at 5-1.
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