UK: Ex-archbishop says Islam is good for British values : by worldbulletin.net

Britain’s former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has said that Islam is rejuvenating “British values” during a critical speech against Islamophobic segments of the British media.

Speaking to an audience of thousands at the annual Living Islam Festival, organised by the Islamic Society of Britain in Lincolnshire on Friday, the ex-archbishop praised mosques that have been working with local parishes to provide family services and youth activities.

The Independent reported that Dr. Williams, who in 2008 called for the application of certain aspects of Islamic law in the UK, also criticized the notion of “British values,” saying that they should be more universal.

His comments come amid an alleged ‘Trojan Horse’ scandal in which Muslims in Birmingham were accused of trying to take over the administration of a public school, accusations the local Muslim community denies.

British Muslims have blamed the over-publicized scandal, which has been covered in depth by right-wing media outlets in the country, for promoting the spread of anti-Muslim sentiment across the UK.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has since called for “British values” to be taught in schools, suggesting that children should be taught about the Magna Carta. “We need to be far more muscular in promoting British values and the institutions that uphold them,” the Mail on Sunday reported him saying.

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