Fiirso.com

Bishop backs Sharia law in UK
Thursday, 3rd July 2008. 12:52pm
By: Adrian Hall.
London: Religious communities should be allowed to uphold their own legal systems when they are not in conflict with human rights, the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds has said.
The Rt Rev John Packer told a debate on the rule of law in the House of Lords that it is important religious communities, including Islam, are "not denied the right to uphold ethical and moral standards where they do not infringe basic human rights".
His comments come in the light of the Archbishop of Canterbury's controversial remarks about Sharia law.
Bishop Packer referred to the Church retaining the right not to marry people who have been divorced and to Jewish Beth Din courts and Somali customary law which enable "disputes to be settled in the security of a particular cultural group without recourse to the secular courts" and provide a "safe haven for independent adjudications".
He said he regretted the recent decision to force Roman Catholic adoption agencies to place children with gay couples "overriding the conscientious rights of the Roman Catholics concerned".
"There is much within the practices and legal systems of different communities and cultures within our land which we ought to welcome, as well as that which is against human rights which we need to condemn," he said.
"Our right defence of human rights must not blind us to the benefits of cultural law."
He added: "In our right concern for the rights particularly of women under the law, and in our criticisms of certain provisions of Sharia, we also need to be careful not to condemn all that comes from that particular tradition.
"In Leeds, as elsewhere, we have welcomed in particular the provision of Sharia-compliant loans and mortgages as an example of multicultural inclusion that has enabled Muslim businessmen to play their part in the financial economy of our country.
"The arguments for and discussion about those loans and mortgages have provided a challenge to our own secular culture, where interest and debt are simply taken for granted."
He added: "Protection under the law is crucial to our society and must remain so.
"At the same time, we need to defend the rights of cultural and religious groups to affirm ethical and moral standards, not least the rights of Christian communities to do that. Indeed, we can learn from them to enhance the common good of the whole of our culture."

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Really? NOW THE ... ( 2 months ago by starcatcher888)

Really? NOW THE PROUD UK CAN HAVE BABY RAPE LEGALLY! Time for the USA to Pull out of NATO and totally review ALL trade and travel agreements! Euro-Trash at its best!

starcatcher888: If ... ( 2 months ago by victimlesscriminal)

starcatcher888: If you leave, take me with you!

It still staggers ... ( 2 months ago by Darwinsgift)

It still staggers me that the opinions of a man who is only qualified to explain the average height of a fairy should be taken seriously by the masses!

Darwinsgift: Was ... ( 2 months ago by victimlesscriminal)

Darwinsgift: Was that a tooth fairy or a woodland fairy? Heights differ - or didn't you know? Next thing is you'll be saying that it doesn't matter how many angels you can get on the tip of a needle.

Darn! I had not ... ( 2 months ago by Darwinsgift)

Darn! I had not thought of that!!! I suppose the needle size would vary between christian factions as well!

DG: You're getting ... ( 2 months ago by victimlesscriminal)

DG: You're getting silly now - if not slightly blasphemous. You know that there is only one Holy Needle and that its size is defined by its place in the Holy Trinity - strictly a third thereof - although at the same time it is also the One and Only - The Three in One. Err...The One in Three...Oh this trinity stuff will never catch on. Wait a minute..it has done for 2000 years!

Liberal people have ... ( 2 months ago by USA04July1776)

Liberal people have lost their fucking minds!

what an idiot... ... ( 2 months ago by 3swelldogs)

what an idiot...talk about being pc. if you tell me something is pc...I'm gonna do the opposite.

This man and men ... ( 2 months ago by richardcadbury)

This man and men like him are ensuring that when we get rid of the horror of Islam and the damage it is causing civilisation, Christianity isn't exactly going to be immune from criticism.

USA0o4July1776: ... ( 2 months ago by victimlesscriminal)

USA0o4July1776: Amen brother!

3swelldogs: I'm ... ( 2 months ago by victimlesscriminal)

3swelldogs: I'm telling you that it is pc to do the opposite of something that you know to be pc. Catch 22...

RC: Christianity is ... ( 2 months ago by victimlesscriminal)

RC: Christianity is as guilty of damaging civilisation: it's just you have to take a longer/wider historical view. Native American, Aztec, Inca? The problem is not simply Islam, nor is it even simply religion, it is going further in actions and words than evidence supports. It's irrationality and ignorance combined with testosterone and boredom that often lead people to do extreme things. Islam is a good focus, but we all have something to learn from how it's possible in the first place.

In time will see ... ( 2 months ago by felixpetrar)

In time will see that religious groups will be smaller and smaller and louder and louder. When they will be very small, they will be hysterical and then we'll see not only "muslim terrorists" but "christian terrorists" too.

felixpetrar: There ... ( 2 months ago by victimlesscriminal)

felixpetrar: There already are Christian terrorists and have been since Paul of Tarsus. Not sure about whether size is proportionate to hysteria - look at Manchester United's fans! Although, equally, small flies do sound rather mad compared with bigger bumble bees. However, we are in utter agreement that they will in time reduce in size and, hopefully, fizzle out completely. Just wish I could be around when the last twitch emanated from the corpse.

5***** Well, there ... ( 1 month ago by rockchickhoney)

5***** Well, there isn't really a polite response to this news as far as I'm concerned so, I will just say thank you for posting it rather than contaminating the comments section with what might offend some other viewers. :-(

This pratt is a ... ( 1 week ago by IceneBoudicca)

This pratt is a wonderful example of the type of spineless, dress wearing 'holy' men that abound in the christian church and who haven't got the courage of their own convictions. Instead of genuflecting to the almighty, they are now latching on to the islam bandwagon in a desparate attempt to hedge their bets.