Islamic scholar defends Williams

Britain's leading Islamic scholar believes the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams' comments on sharia law have been profoundly misunderstood.

Dr Williams sparked outrage last week when he said the introduction of aspects of Islamic law in Britain was 'unavoidable' Sheikh Suhaib Hasan, secretary of the Islamic Sharia Council, a panel of Britain's top Islamic scholars who decide on hundreds of Muslim marriages and divorces each year, said Dr Williams was being wrongly vilified.

"I have listened to his speech, and I think people are so ignorant that they cannot understand what he was saying," said Mr Hasan, who was born in Pakistan and studied jurisprudence in Saudi Arabia before coming to Britain 31 years ago.

Mr Hasan said he fears the Anglican leader he will try to "correct" himself to quell the furore that has arisen around his comments.

"Because he's been so totally misunderstood, he should try to explain himself. He should not withdraw from his comments, that will just make it worse. If I believe something then I stand by it. The archbishop is the same. He should not disassociate himself from what he said if he thinks it's true." Read more
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