Archbishop of Canterbury slams Trump's Muslim ban as irrational and un-Christian

The Archbishop of Canterbury laid into Donald Trump as un-Christian and irrational in front MPs on Tuesday as he answered questions on migration and asylum seekers.

Justin Welby also attacked the "inexcusable" UKIP leader Nigel Farage for "legitimising racism" as he became the first Church of England head to give evidence before the home affairs select committee.

The Archbishop of Canterbury was the first head of the Church of England to give evidence before a House of Commons select committee as he answered questions on migration with the Bishop of Durham Parliament.tv

The Anglican primate was grilled on topics that ranged from his position on the European Union and whether he thought Britain was too full to accept any more migrants, to his thoughts on Sharia law and antisemitism.

But his most strident comments were directed at the presumptive Republican nominee and Farage. Welby said he agreed with Pope Francis when he said "anyone who only builds walls and not bridges is not a Christian".

On Trump's plans to ban Muslims from entering the United States, Welby added: "It is certainly not a Christian thing to do nor is it a rational thing to do. It does not respect the dignity of the human being."

The 90-minute questioning began with Keith Vaz, Labour MP and chair of the committee, asking Welby about Nigel Farage's comments to the Sunday Telegraph over the weekend. The UKIP leader warned attacks on women on a mass scale would happen if people from outside Europe gained access to EU passports and entered the UK.

Vaz said: "I would regard those comments as being racist and a lot of people would. What's your take on what he has said?"

The head of the C of E said he agreed and "utterly condemned" Farage.

"I think that is an inexcusable pandering to people's worries and prejudices.

"That's giving legitimisation to racism, which I've seen in parishes in which I've served and has led to attacks on people in those parishes. And we cannot legitimise that."

However the Archbishop stood by his comments in March that it was legitimate to fear mass migration.

"We never serve ourselves well when we neglect fear," Welby told MPs. "The answer to fear is not to say it is improper to fear but to recognise it and the causes of that fear."

He added: "I fully accept there is a burden on communities. The answer to that burden is one has to provide specific extra resources to communities affected."

But Welby denied that Britain was too full and said Britain could take more migrants.

"We can take more people in but have to think very, very hard about doing it," he cautioned. "You can do the right thing in such a wrong way it becomes the wrong thing."

Earlier on Tuesday the Bishop of Durham, who answered questions alongside the Archbishop, publically supported Britain remaining in the EU. However despite numerous attempts from the committee of MPs, Welby refused to give an indication of his views.

"You're quite good at this," Vaz joked as Welby ducked a series of questions attempting to establish his position on the EU.

The Archbishop was equally cautious on the topic of Sharia law. His predecessor Rowan Williams caused outrage in 2014 when he was reported as supporting the introduction of aspects of Sharia law in Britain.

Welby told MPs that Williams' remarks had been "widely misreported" but refused to comment any further on Williams' views. On the use of Sharia law in Britain, Welby said: "We have laws in this country that are drawn from international sources such as civil law and roman law... Whatever sources you draw from, the basic philosophy of English jurisprudence must always prevail under all circumstances."

The lively session concluded with Vaz promising to write to Welby to prize a fuller answer out of him on Sharia law. 

related articles
Justin Welby and 'gentle' evangelism: Should you wait to be asked before sharing your faith?
Justin Welby and 'gentle' evangelism: Should you wait to be asked before sharing your faith?

Justin Welby and 'gentle' evangelism: Should you wait to be asked before sharing your faith?

Good disagreement: Christian principle or vacuous buzzword?
Good disagreement: Christian principle or vacuous buzzword?

Good disagreement: Christian principle or vacuous buzzword?

Anglicans and Catholics unite...over Facebook Live
Anglicans and Catholics unite...over Facebook Live

Anglicans and Catholics unite...over Facebook Live

A Tale of Two Assemblies: The future of the Church in Scotland
A Tale of Two Assemblies: The future of the Church in Scotland

A Tale of Two Assemblies: The future of the Church in Scotland

Archbishop of Canterbury: To understand the world, we must understand religion
Archbishop of Canterbury: To understand the world, we must understand religion

Archbishop of Canterbury: To understand the world, we must understand religion

News
Dozens of Scottish church leaders warn against legalising assisted suicide
Dozens of Scottish church leaders warn against legalising assisted suicide

Pastors and Christian leaders across Scotland have signed an open letter to MSPs urging them to vote against a draft bill that seeks to legalise assisted suicide. 

Sequel to hit Christian movie 'I Can Only Imagine' gets new release date
Sequel to hit Christian movie 'I Can Only Imagine' gets new release date

The release date for the faith-based film “I Can Only Imagine 2,” the sequel to the 2018 box office hit, is moving from March 20, 2026, to Feb. 20, 2026, Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company have announced.

First Minister John Swinney among MSPs to vote against Scottish assisted dying bill
First Minister John Swinney among MSPs to vote against Scottish assisted dying bill

Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, has confirmed he will vote against the controversial Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, ahead of its pivotal Stage 1 vote set for Tuesday evening. 

Suicide is a sin - why can't we say so?
Suicide is a sin - why can't we say so?

It might just be me, but amongst all the myriad and somewhat valid objections raised, including by Christians, to "Assisted Dying" (read "Doctors Killing Patients" or "Doctors Helping Patients to Kill Themselves"), I haven't really seen the most important, indeed the all-decisive, one.