Mere Days After the Woolwich Butchery, Rowan Atkinson, Er, Sorry, Williams (Drat! I Always Mix Up My Rowans) Releases His Legalistic Apologia for Sharia Law

Melanie Phillips reports on the contents of the tome and the former Archbish of Squish's hideously bad timing:

In what promises to be a high-profile event in the lawyers' Temple Church in London – which for some reason has taken a lead in promoting sharia in the UK – Dr Williams will today help launch a new book, Islam and English Law, published by Cambridge University Press. 

According to the pre-launch blurb, the book will ask:

• 'Is sharia law compatible with the European Convention of Human Rights?
• Should English law give greater recognition to Islamic custom and practice?
• Should freedom of speech be restrained to protect Muslims' sensibilities?
• Can Muslims be full members, in good conscience and without qualification, of our pluralist society?'

and also 

'…what changes, if any, to legal provision and practice will narrow division between the UK's communities, promote understanding and accommodation – and, to improve the protection offered to them all.' 

Well, I suppose it's possible that the book – along with Dr Williams -- will answer that last question by saying: 'Stop sharia now'. Such an answer would certainly bring relief to the many thousands of British Muslims who want to live in freedom and security under democracy, equal human rights and 'one law for all'. 

However, given that the contributors to this book are 

Abdullahi An-Na'im, Mashood Baderin, Marion Boyd, Nicolas Bratza, Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, Ian Edge, Khaled Abou El Fadl, David Ford, Robin Griffith-Jones, Mark Hill, Stephen Hockman, Sydney Kentridge, Christopher McCrudden, Dominic McGoldrick, Tariq Modood, Nicholas Phillips, Tariq Ramadan, Albie Sachs, Shaheen Sardar Ali, Prakash Shah and Rowan Williams, 

I'd guess that the answer to the questions listed under the bullet-points above might be mostly 'yes', 'yes', 'yes' and 'yes'.



One Rowan's a clergyman, the other's a craven squish.