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An archbishop’s insight shows us mess we are in
• I was among the 1,000 people who listened to Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s lecture.
During his intelligent and insightful Royal Courts of Justice lecture, the archbishop appealed to everything that is good in Christian culture; ideas such as tolerance, mutual respect and civilised conduct.
I’m appalled that his remarks provoked such a hyped-up media storm among people who had either not bothered to read his February 7 lecture or deliberately chose to misunderstand him.
I have found the hysterical level of racism and xenophobia which has now heaped criticism on the archbishop’s head a mere ignorant and knee-jerk reaction by people who should be ashamed of themselves.
Rowan Williams stated that it was time for those with any kind of religious conviction, not just Muslims, to come together to solve our social problems – such as apathy, binge-drinking, and high levels of crime.
He never suggested a parallel legal system of any sort, rather he commended the current secular legal system for giving British citizens the freedom of thought, expression and religion.
It is too bad that that same freedom of thought and expression hasn’t been extended to him by the media and majority of MPs in parliament. The lecture has had the effect of taking the temperature of our political and cultural climate – by all accounts we have a long way to go before we learn to live in peace with one another.
Michelle Murray
Castlehaven Road, NW1
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