Tucked behind Westminster Cathedral on a quiet back street,
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor's home is only a short
walk from Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury's
official residence which sits on the south-bank of the Thames. | | Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor disagrees both with
attempts to create a multicultural society and with
'aggressive secularism'
|
On the issues of sharia law and multiculturalism, however,
Britain's two most senior Christian leaders appear to be worlds apart. Dr Rowan Williams, head of the Anglican Church, caused uproar last
week with his suggestion that the incorporation of aspects of sharia
into UK law might be "unavoidable", and could aid social
cohesion. Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, leader of the 4.5? million
Catholics in England and Wales, begs to differ. He is adamant that
such a move would only make segregation even more entrenched. "I don't believe in a multicultural society," he
says firmly. "When people come into this country they have to
obey the laws of the land." He has a mellifluous voice and an affable manner, but the cardinal
becomes steely when discussing the problems facing British society,
and the issue of sharia law. "There are going to be certain things which might clash in
the overall culture of the country. That's where one has to
make a judgement," he says, then pauses before continuing,
aware of the sensitivity of the issue. "There are aspects of
sharia that are practised that we certainly wouldn't want in
this country. The laws of this country don't allow forced
marriages or polygamy. "It seems to me a government and a country has a right to
make sure that those laws are kept." Although moderate Muslims are strongly opposed to forced marriage,
it is a reality in Islamic countries and a recent report by the
Centre for Social Cohesion claimed that it is even practised by some
families living in Britain. The issue of polygamy was raised last weekend when The Sunday
Telegraph revealed that the Government had decided to allow husbands
with "multiple" wives to claim extra housing and income
benefits, arguing that recognising "valid polygamous
marriages" is "the best possible" option. The cardinal warns that an approach that treats people in
different ways sets a dangerous precedent, and can only make Britain
more divided. "The extent to which multiculturalism has been
encouraged recently has meant a lessening of the kind of unity that
a country needs. It is not enough for people to live within their
own cultures and then say 'we'll live within the freedoms
that are given in this country within a totally separate culture'. "Of course you can keep the variety of traditions, but when
you enter this country there are common values which are part of its
heritage, which should be embraced by everybody." One of six children of Irish Catholic immigrants, Cardinal Murphy
O'Connor grew up as part of a community that was on the margins
of mainstream society and that experienced the struggle of trying to
integrate without losing its identity. "When I was young we were the new immigrants," he says.
"For the most part, the Irish kept to themselves. They were
workers who just came over, who built the railways, but didn't
feel accepted to enter the social life of the country." He sympathises, therefore, with the Muslim community in Britain,
which finds itself constantly at the centre of attention, and
criticised for contributing to racial tension. "Variety within unity" is the cardinal's mantra. He
says that Muslims should be free to express their religious
consciences, but not at the expense of contributing to wider society. |