Guardian: Farage using Christianity ‘to stir anti-Muslim feeling’, says Rowan Williams

Former archbishop of Canterbury also has ‘awkward questions’ for activist Tommy Robinson on his claimed faith

GUARDIAN ARTICLE

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/20/nigel-farage-rowan-williams-tommy-robinson-christianity-anti-muslim-feeling

Farage using Christianity ‘to stir anti-Muslim feeling’, says Rowan Williams

Former archbishop of Canterbury also has ‘awkward questions’ for activist Tommy Robinson on his claimed faith

Caroline Davies

Thu 20 Aug 2026

A former archbishop of Canterbury has accused Nigel Farage of misusing the UK’s Christianity “to channel anti-Muslim feeling” and said he also had “some awkward questions” for the far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

Dr Rowan Williams, who was the archbishop of Canterbury for 10 years until 2012, said there was an “inevitable scepticism these days about some claims to religious conviction”.

Speaking to the New Humanist magazine, Williams said: “I suspect really that Farage and others want to channel anti-Muslim feeling, and it helps to have ‘we’re a Christian society’ to fling back. It gives a sort of ballast.”

Asked what he believed was driving Christian nationalism in the UK, Williams said: “There are lots of possible causes. Anxiety about migration, anti-Islamism. In France, that anxiety has a secular aspect, but the St George’s Cross still means something in the English imagination, which still has a Christian aspect.

“The second thing is the globalising of all political discourse. The message given at international Christian conservative gatherings is that self-respecting nationalist movements need a bit of theology injected into them.

“Ironically, for someone like Nigel Farage, it’s about trying to find a presentational strategy that allows him to be taken seriously outside England. He’s often not here, after all.

“Then again, if we’re looking for what animates Christian nationalism, I think it’s in part the very simple search for someone to blame.”

The Reform UK leader posted online at Easter stating: “The Christian values on which our country is built are something to be proud of.” In 2024, he prompted criticism after suggesting there were “a growing number of young people in this country who do not subscribe to British values, in fact loathe much of what we stand for”. He confirmed he was referring to Muslims.

Earlier this year, Farage criticised an iftar in Trafalgar Square, saying the religious fast-breaking event in London was an “attempt to overtake, intimidate and dominate our way of life”.

Last year, Reform UK announced the appointment of the theologian James Orr – an academic who has influenced Donald Trump’s US administration – as a senior adviser to Farage.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has spoken about taking Bible studies while in jail and said he was now a Christian, having grown up Catholic but not practised. In December, he led a carol concert to “put the Christ back into Christmas” and his Unite the Kingdom march in London earlier this year saw some participants carry wooden crosses and chant “Christ is king”.

Williams told the magazine: “There’s an inevitable scepticism these days about some claims to religious conviction, and I don’t want to give way to this. If Tommy Robinson is doing his best to lead a life of Christian discipleship, I’m very glad, but I would really want to ask him some awkward questions.

“I would ask him how attempting to lead a life of Christian discipleship squares with public rhetoric designed to produce hostility and violence.

“And although Nigel Farage thought it was worth getting a theologian on board for Reform UK, I don’t think he lies awake at night thinking about his soul. I may be doing the man an injustice, but I don’t believe he cares about profound theological questions.”

/ End of Guardian article

ROWAN WILLIAMS ENABLED SHARIA COUNCILS

Sharia councils are de facto Sharia courts.

In 2008 Archbishop Rowan Williams made various pronouncements about Sharia councils, suggesting that elements of Sharia law should be introduced into the UK.

There was a considerable level of objection. However the Government did indeed make Sharia councils officially recognised. With the support of Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips Matravers. He is Jewish. His own grandparents had fled from Egypt, to avoid persecution as a result of the application of Sharia principles. One wonders what they would think of their own grandson enabling such principles.

Here is an article from that date. There were many other articles, this is just one example.

GUARDIAN ARTICLE FROM FEBRUARY 2008

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/feb/08/uk.religion

Uproar as archbishop says sharia law inevitable in UK

This article is more than 18 years old

Williams argues official status for Islamic law could aid social cohesion

Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent

Fri 8 Feb 2008

The Archbishop of Canterbury drew criticism from across the political spectrum last night after he backed the introduction of sharia law in Britain and argued that adopting some aspects of it seemed “unavoidable”. Rowan Williams, the most senior figure in the Church of England, said that giving Islamic law official status in the UK would help to achieve social cohesion because some Muslims did not relate to the British legal system.

His comments, in a lecture on civil and religious law given at the Royal Courts of Justice, were swiftly rebutted by the prime minister’s spokesman, who insisted British law would be based on British values and that sharia law would be no justification for acting against national law.

“Our general position is that sharia law cannot be used as a justification for committing breaches of English law, nor should the principles of sharia law be included in a civil court for resolving contractual disputes. If there are specific instances, like stamp duty, where changes can be made in a way that’s consistent with British law ... to accommodate the values of fundamental Muslims, that is something the government would look at.”

Williams was also criticised by the Tory peer Sayeeda Warsi, shadow minister for community cohesion and social action. “The comments may add to the confusion that already exists in our communities,” she said ... “We must ensure people of all backgrounds and religions are treated equally before the law. Freedom under the law allows respect for some religious practices. But let’s be clear: all British citizens must be subject to British laws developed through parliament and the courts.”

Sharia law sets out a broad code of conduct for all aspects of life, from diet, wearing of the hijab to marriage and divorce.

British courts do not recognise Islamic marriages performed in this country unless they are registered separately with the civil authorities. The result is that some Muslims think they are protected by family law when they are not, and others can think they are properly divorced, when they are still married. However, Britain recognises Islamic marriages and divorces conducted in Muslim countries such as Pakistan or Bangladesh.

Under Islamic law polygamy is condoned, allowing a man up to four wives and giving him the primary right to call for divorce. This means he can leave his first wife, refuse her a divorce and remarry, yet still consider himself living in accordance with his faith.

Some Muslim groups supported Williams’ views. The Ramadhan Foundation, an educational and welfare body, said the speech was “testament to his attempts to understand Islam and promote tolerance and respect between our great faiths”.

More than 800 people were in the Great Hall of the Royal Courts of Justice in London for last night’s speech, while another 200 poured into the overspill marquee.

Williams said introducing sharia law would mean Muslims would no longer have to choose between two systems.

“If what we want socially is a pattern of relations in which a plurality of diverse and overlapping affiliations work for a common good, and in which groups of serious and profound conviction are not systematically faced with the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty, it seems unavoidable,” he said.

Earlier, in a BBC interview, the archbishop was more succinct. He said it was a “matter of fact” that sharia law was already practised in Britain. “We already have in this country a number of situations in which the internal law of religious communities is recognised by the law of the land ... There is a place for finding what would be a constructive accommodation with some aspects of Muslim law, as we already do with some kinds of aspects of other religious law.”

He did not endorse, however, the “kind of inhumanity” that was associated with sharia law in some Islamic states.

GUARDIAN ARTICLE FROM JULY 2008

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/jul/04/law.islam

Sharia law could have UK role, says lord chief justice

This article is more than 18 years old

· Phillips says Islamic law could benefit society
· He calls for system to govern marriages

Patrick Wintour and Riazat Butt

Fri 4 Jul 2008

Britain’s most senior judge reopened one of the most highly charged debates in Britain last night when he said he was willing to see sharia law operate in the country, so long as it did not conflict with the laws of England and Wales, or lead to the imposition of severe physical punishments.

The remarks by the lord chief justice, Lord Phillips, in a speech to the London Muslim Council yesterday, had a conscious echo of the comments made by the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, in February who argued that sharia law could sometimes be used in Britain.

The archbishop, who suggested “sharia law was rooted in the sense of doing God’s will in the ordinary things of law”, was later forced to retract the statement.

Phillips insisted last night there was “widespread misunderstanding” of the nature of sharia law, and argued: “There is no reason why sharia principles, or any other religious code, should not be the basis for mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution [with the understanding] ... that any sanctions for a failure to comply with the agreed terms of mediation would be drawn from the Laws of England and Wales.”

He also suggested sharia principles should be applied to marriage arrangements.

Less controversially, Phillips backed the creation of specialist financial products and services which comply with sharia principles, something the UK Treasury has acknowledged since 2002.

The lord chief justice, in an address broadly designed to reassure the Muslim community that it was treated equally under British law, stressed that he was not countenancing “any notion of sharia courts operating in this country and seeking to impose such punishments”.

He said: “There can be no question of such courts sitting in this country, or such sanctions being applied here.

“So far as the law is concerned, those who live in this country are governed by English and Welsh law and subject to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.”

In the most controversial section, Phillips said: “ It was not very radical to advocate embracing sharia law in the context of family disputes, for example, and our system already goes a long way towards accommodating the archbishop’s suggestion.

“It is possible in this country for those who are entering into a contractual agreement to agree that the agreement shall be governed by a law other than English law. Those who, in this country, are in dispute as to their respective rights are free to subject that dispute to the mediation of a chosen person, or to agree that the dispute shall be resolved by a chosen arbitrator or arbitrators.

“So a Muslim woman who divorced according to Sharia principles would be free to marry again, but not if she only went to a civil court.

“But as far as aspects of matrimonial law are concerned, there is a limited precedent for English law to recognise aspects of religious laws, although when it comes to divorce this can only be effected in accordance with the civil law of this country.”

Although he admitted some Muslim countries interpret sharia law as calling for severe physical punishment, Phillips insisted there was a misconception that sharia law is “only about mandating sanctions, such as flogging, stoning the cutting off of hands or death for those that fail to comply with the law”.

Usama Hasan, imam at Al-Tawhid Mosque, Leyton, and an adviser to the Islamic Sharia Council, the longest-established body of its kind in the UK, gave a cautious welcome to Phillips’ speech.

He said: “[Phillips] is talking about provisions that are already out there for mediation and conflict resolution. Muslim couples would prefer to have their personal disputes to be settled by a sharia scholar because such a ruling would affect their status.

“Aspects of Jewish divorce law have long been part of English law and it seems reasonable for Muslims to have the same treatment, but it can’t lead to inequality or a splintering of British society.”

He added that it was difficult to have a sensible discussion about sharia law in the UK because the issue is “like a red rag” in the public’s mind.

Backstory

Parts of the lord chief justice’s speech read like a more coherent version of what the Archbishop of Canterbury said in February regarding Sharia law. Indeed, Phillips chaired Williams’ address at the Royal Courts of Justice. Both agreed that it was possible for individuals to voluntarily conduct their lives obeying Sharia principles, without this being in conflict with rights that were guaranteed by English law. Williams said some aspects of Islamic personal law, relating to marriage for example, could benefit from being included in the legal system as a way to accommodate Muslims who did not defer to British law. At no point did he, or Phillips, endorse Islamic law’s harshest penalties. Nor did they call for a parallel legal system for Muslims living in Britain.

WHY DO I QUOTE GUARDIAN ARTICLES?

The Guardian is a very left wing newspaper. I am not endorsing its stance.

However, it is one of the few newspapers that keep its articles freely accessible online. Most others are behind paywalls. For example the Express had all of its articles free to read, but now many are behind paywalls, and those that are not now have very annoying adverts popping up.

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND SHAMELESSLY ENABLES ISLAM

I have directly witnessed the appeasement.

I attended a series of seminars on Islam and Christianity at Wells Cathedral in Jan / Feb 2020.

The first seminar was led by the Canon Theologian Professor David Thomas. He became irate when it was questioned whether Allah and God are the same being. He angrily replied “If they are not we are wasting our time.” I suspect that he has wasted several decades of his time. That question really is at the core of the matter. He refused to answer it properly, and became stroppy.

The second seminar was led by the then Cathedral Chancellor Rev Rob James. He has subsequently moved elsewhere, so do not berate the current Chancellor who had nothing to do with this.

Rev James proudly stated that he prays Islamic prayers alongside Muslims, and had done this on three occasions. But he only prays the part he agrees with. Since Islamic prayers only have validity with Allah if prayed in Arabic, presumably he is fluent in Arabic.

In discussion afterwards he refused to agree that Mohammed was a false prophet. Jesus told us how to recognise false prophets - by their fruits. The fruits of Mohammed are utterly rotten and evil.

See this article for further details:

I subsequently wrote a book: “How the Church Enables Islam”. The front cover shows the very unusual architecture within Wells Cathedral. There is cross-bracing in stone. The two circles give the appearance of eyes. While the imam was preaching from the Koran I had a very distinct impression that those were devil eyes staring down at the congregation. The Wells clergy had enabled evil to enter. Despite the best efforts of myself and three concerned friends, who had contacted the clergy during the preceding 2 weeks, to try to prevent the service going ahead.

Allowing contrary religions to be preached on church premises is strictly forbidden in Canon Law. The Wells Clergy have never been admonished as far as I am aware.

I wrote another book, with unfortunately a similar title, it focuses more on the Roman Catholic church: “Enablers of Islam: The Church”. There is a fair amount of overlap. The common theme is that they are both appeasing Islam. Utterly shameful/

BOOK: HOW THE CHURCH ENABLES ISLAM

The Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church are both enabling Islam. This is to the detriment of Christians worldwide.

At the root is a misunderstanding regarding Allah by numerous Christian theologians. If corrected, the Church might then have the ability to oppose Islam.

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BOOK: ENABLERS OF ISLAM: THE CHURCH

Why does the Church promote evil? Islam is evil, the Church promotes Islam, thus the Church promotes evil. The root of this error goes back some 6 decades. This book examines how and why it happened. And gives recommendations for reversing the error.

Paperback: https://www.lulu.com/shop/hellish-2050/enablers-of-islam-the-church/paperback/product-45rm9p2.html

Ebook: https://www.lulu.com/shop/hellish-2050/enablers-of-islam-the-church/ebook/product-kv5r9y4.html

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