Archbishop defends sharia debate.

THE Archbishop of Canterbury has defended his decision to raise the issue of sharia law, but accepted responsibility for any "misleading choice of words" that had caused the public "distress or misunderstanding".

Addressing the General Synod of the Church of England, Rowan Williams said he believed "quite strongly" that it was right for a senior member of the church to discuss the concerns of other religious communities.

Dr Williams was speaking in the wake of the hostile reception to remarks he made in a BBC interview last Thursday, in which he said the adoption of some aspects of Islamic sharia law in the UK "seemed unavoidable".

The interview preceded a public lecture at the Royal Court of Justice on civil and religious law in England from a religious perspective.

In his opening address to the Synod in London yesterday, the Archbishop said he thought certain aspects of his remarks had been distorted.

"But I must, of course, take responsibility for any unclarity in either that text or in the radio interview, and for any misleading choice of words that has helped to cause distress or misunderstanding among the public at large and especially among my fellow Christians."

Dr Williams avoided using the word "sharia" throughout his 3,000-word address