People here 'must obey the laws of the land'

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.