The Archbishop of Canterbury is the operational head of the Church of England and de facto spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, known here as the Episcopalian Church. Invented purely because Henry VIII was horny. Never come between a man and his new booty when he is also head of a nation. Just ask Nicolas Sarkozy, president of those randy French.
The present Archbishop, Dr. Rowan Williams, recently commented that aspects of Sharia (basically Islamic law) should be given legal standing with English law. This subsequently managed to piss off, well, everyone. Condemnation has poured in from across the entire political spectrum. From crazy knee-jerk xenophobes who railed against accommodating Islam in Britain’s Christian heritage to those frightened about the limiting of women’s rights, no-one seems to be happy with the Archbishop’s thinking. There have been calls for him to resign.
I, too, disagree. But not because of the vicious reasons that people have been, rather disconcertingly, espousing over the last week.
We can only live under one law in a country, otherwise when do we know which one takes precedence? Even in Archbishop William’s case, where he only suggested Islamic courts to settle family issues (like marital ones) and financial issues, when does one draw the line, and why should it not be available for all? It is an interesting, academic point, but not practical and politically naive.
Why, then, could this Christian leader have expressed such views? Tolerance? Understanding?
No. Beards.
Time Magazine just published an article about beards. It says beards are back. Why? Because, from government to Wall Street to entertainment, people no longer want to conform. It’s a statement that no man is beholden to the fashion constraints of his job.
As an aside, I find this idea laughable. Beards are ‘back’ because those men who can’t be arsed to shave all the time (I am proudly one of them — I have a beard right now) are no longer afraid of their bosses. Especially since their bosses also can’t be bothered. Now they think it’s fashionable, more men will not shave. It will snowball into a revolution, tempered only by the two thirds of women who don’t like facial hair (screw you).
Anyway, back to the Archbishop and my tenuous connection. You see, Dr. Williams has been known as a “hairy leftie.” This is a comment on his magnificent archbishoply, Gandalf-like beard (and his unorthodox left-wing tendencies). Long has he been mocked for this (as well as for being Welsh). But now, seeing that beards are back, and that some versions of Sharia require us men to have beards, he saw his chance. Introduce sharia, and suddenly he will be hip and cool. Theology will be back!
Don’t think it worked, though.
Tags: Archbishop of Canterbury, beards, England, hairy lefty, Sharia
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