Your views: sharia law in the UK

Dr Rowan Williams argued in a speech at London's Royal Courts of Justice that Muslims should be able to choose whether some legal disputes were resolved in secular or sharia courts.

The speech prompted one of the biggest responses we have ever had to an issue, with emails almost exclusively critical of the archbishop.

Opinions fell into two categories. The first category held that UK law had evolved over hundreds of years and that it was completely inappropriate to compromise it. If people disagreed with the British legal system, they could go and live elsewhere.

Mr Hills emailed to say that "If I live abroad as a citizen of another country, I expect to follow the law of that country."

Neil Price agreed: "Every nation needs an order based on its own unique history, and the Christian values that have shaped our country have evolved our society into a free nation."

"Please, please, do not let us start to go down this route," said Janette Kessel. "One law for all."

John Dersley was of the opinion that "British freedom was won partly by the battle to win freedom from the ecclesiastical courts".

A similarly historical overview was adopted by Helen Hurley: "Generations of people have fought (and died) to safeguard the democratic rule of law in Britain and the many freedoms which flow from this."

"We are told that some people in Britain would be happier living under sharia law... They can choose to go and live in countries where they have sharia law," thought Marguerite Varcas.

The second strand of opinion was actually critical of Sharia law itself and what it represented.

Tracy Walker warned that sharia law should not be allowed to run parallel to British law because of "the oppression within Muslim communities, especially of women, children and gay people."

Linda Bone stressed that "Britain is a SECULAR society and, as such, there should be NO place for religious laws within the laws of the nation."

And Kate Buffery contrasted sharia principles with the principles on which British law is based. The latter "evolves through debate and is essentially based on the understanding that some ideas and ways of behaving... are better than others."

S Walker was one of the few correspondents who thought that some aspects of sharia law should be allowed in the UK: "I believe after a while both sharia and UK laws would have their flaws highlighted. UK legal system is slow and expensive, sharia law is biased but cheaper."

One theme that ran through the email responses was criticism of Rowan Williams himself - indeed, some of the opinions verge on the downright abusive.

Simon thought that "The archbishop is a muddled liberal Christian who no longer speaks for Christians in the UK."

John W held a similar view, but expressed it with greater vehemence: "I have regarded the present archbishop as a non-leader and... an idiot or a learned man with idiotic ideas."

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