Claim 64193f4cChecked 21 Jul 2026
Partly True/FalseOn the truth scale
“The Archbishop of Canterbury has publicly argued that shari’a law would be welcome in British cities.”
Reasoning & Evidence21 Jul 2026
Based on research, the claim by Nigel Farage refers to Dr. Rowan Williams, then Archbishop of Canterbury, who delivered a lecture and gave a BBC Radio 4 interview on 7 February 2008 about the relationship between Islamic law and British law.
**What Williams actually said:**
- In the BBC Radio 4 interview, Williams said the adoption of "certain aspects of Sharia law" in the UK "seems unavoidable" and called for "a constructive accommodation with some aspects of Muslim law, as we already do with some other aspects of religious law."
- In his lecture at the Royal Courts of Justice ("Civil and Religious Law in England: A Religious Perspective"), he discussed whether there might be room for "overlapping jurisdictions" in limited areas such as marital disputes and financial matters.
- Crucially, Williams explicitly said "We are not talking about parallel jurisdictions" and insisted there could be no "blank cheques," especially regarding women's liberties. He stated that "nothing should be recognised which had the effect of removing from any individual the rights they were entitled to enjoy as a citizen of the UK."
**Assessment of the claim:**
The claim has a kernel of truth: Williams did publicly argue for some form of accommodation with aspects of sharia law within the UK. However, the claim is materially distorted in two ways:
1. **"Welcome"**: Williams did not say sharia law would be "welcome." He said accommodation of certain aspects seemed "unavoidable" — a word expressing inevitability, not endorsement. He was careful and qualified throughout, not enthusiastically welcoming sharia.
2. **"In British cities"**: Williams did not specify "British cities." He discussed the UK legal system as a whole. The addition of "cities" is not something Williams said.
3. **"Shari'a law" without qualification**: Williams was careful to say "some aspects" of sharia/Muslim law, limited to areas like marital disputes and financial matters, and explicitly rejected any system that would override UK citizens' rights. The unqualified "shari'a law would be welcome" gives the impression of wholesale adoption, which is the opposite of what Williams argued.
The claim mixes an accurate element (Williams publicly argued for some accommodation of aspects of sharia law in Britain) with materially inaccurate characterizations ("welcome," "in British cities," unqualified "shari'a law") that distort the impression of what he said.
Sources:
- BBC News, "Sharia law in UK is 'unavoidable'" — http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7232661.stm
- BBC News, "In full: Rowan Williams interview" — http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7239283.stm
- BBC News, "Archbishop's speech to General Synod" — http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7239567.stm
- The Guardian, "Civil and Religious Law in England: a religious perspective" (full lecture text) — https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/feb/07/religion.world2
- The Guardian, "Archbishop backs sharia law for British Muslims" — https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/feb/07/religion.world
- The Telegraph, "Archbishop Williams sparks Sharia law row" — https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1577928/Archbishop-Williams-sparks-Sharia-law-row.html
From article
Yes. Oh yes – and I still could. And I do actually think that our Christian values are terribly important, because they’re an excellent marker for the way society should operate and how we should treat each other.
I find it bizarre that the Archbishop of Canterbury appears to be quite happy for them to go down the tube. To think that he has publicly argued that shari’a law would be welcome in British cities!
In a sense, after my accident, I think I am more reflective, a bit more thoughtful, a little more grown-up. Not too much, I hope, but a little bit more
Sources opened