MP fury at Sharia law idea for police

6:33am Friday 29th February 2008

An MP has launched a scathing attacked on suggestions the police could be forced to learn about Sharia law under secret plans being agreed by police chiefs.

Shipley MP Philip Davies labelled the idea as ludicrous and said it would do nothing to improve community cohesion.

Earlier this month the Archbishop of Canterbury sparked controversy after he said the adoption of some aspects of Sharia law in the UK "seems unavoidable."

Now a national newspaper is claiming to have seen documents which say British police will be taught about the Koran and Sharia law to ensure every police officer is prepared to play a counter-terrorism role.

It is believed to form part of a new policing strategy to prevent violent extremism.

Mr Davies said: "This is going in the wrong direction. A police officer's job is to uphold British law, not Sharia law. What we should be doing is encouraging Muslims to follow British law and this is typical political correctness that we have come to expect from senior police officers. I suspect rank and file officers will be as outraged as me."

Earlier this week Tory leader David Cameron said the introduction of Sharia law for Muslims in Britain would undermine society.

He disputed Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams' assertion that adopting some element of Sharia law was unavoidable.

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