In the modern world, contact and commerce with other countries and cultures is a daily commonplace.

Do we wish to hide away and pretend such contact doesn't exist? Surely not; such a 'hide under the bedclothes' approach belongs in the nursery.

Do we want to display an 'our culture – love it or we'll stomp on you' attitude? I suppose that's a tenable position – if you want to go the way of mad men of Beirut or the Balkans.

No – the civilised way forward is to realise the problem and try to deal with it. For reasons beyond Dr Williams' control, there's a large number of Muslims in this country. Such a population must be integrated into our ways, not forced to comply. To allow such integration to take place, a way for dialogue must be found.

I think several of the points Dr Williams made were wrong. I think the idea of different legal systems for those of different faiths is patently absurd. However, I salute Dr Williams for having the courage to state his views and initiate debate. At times like these, we need leaders brave enough to tackle different problems and lead their flock rather than tiredly restate old maxims.

I feel we should all be praying for Dr Williams, that his words and deeds will be divinely guarded to help resolve the crucial Muslim/Christian divide that's such a threat to the world today.

David Lewis
Church End, Cawood