He was forced to defend his position and said that his remarks had been misconstrued.
His controversial remarks - that the adoption of Muslim practices in legal disputes like marriage and financial matters was necessary to preserve the cohesion of British society -were made while giving a lecture on civil and religious law at the Royal Courts of Justice.
Government backlash
In fact, Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s spokesperson was quick to dismiss the archbishop’s comments, saying that British laws should be based on British values.
“Our general position is that Sharia law cannot be used as a justification for committing breaches of English law, nor should the principles of Sharia law be included in a civil court for resolving contractual disputes." He said.
He also added, "If there are specific instances... where changes can be made in a way that's consistent with British law ... to accommodate the values of fundamental Muslims that is something the government would look at.”
Archbishop’s defence
In his defence, Dr Williams clarified that he was not endorsing the harsh punishment meted out in radical lslamic countries, where the murderers and drug traffickers are publicly beheaded or hanged.
"Certain conditions of Sharia are already recognized in our society and under our law, so it is not as if we are bringing in an alien and rival system,” he said.
‘A demonstration of understanding’
However, Islamic groups hailed Dr Williams’ comments, saying it was a bold move and showed an understanding of Islamic culture.
"Sharia law for civil matters is something which has been introduced in some western countries with much success," said Mohammed Shafiq, the head of the Ramadhan Foundation.
"I believe that Muslims would take huge comfort from the government allowing civil matters to be resolved according to their faith", he added.
The integration of 1.8 million-strong British Muslim community has become an issue in the aftermath of the 7/7 terrorist attack on London's transport network.
