Akbar Ahmed *
The proximity to a great spiritual master is always inspiring. And perhaps there are few masters as eminent as the
archbishop of Canterbury.
 |
| Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, addresses
the theology think tank Theos in London on Oct. 1, 2012. (REUTERS) |
On Oct. 8, 2012, my daughter
Amineh Hoti and I had been invited to participate in what was probably the last major public event of the
Most Rev. Rowan Williams during his ten-year engagement with Muslims as the archbishop of Canterbury. The event was held at Lambeth Palace, the archbishop’s London residence. The who’s who of Britain was there including the archbishops of Wales and Ireland, several bishops and
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the first-ever female chairman of the Tory Party. Also present was my dear friend James Shera,
MBE, a Pakistani Christian, the first Pakistani mayor of Rugby and the only Pakistani in the United Kingdom with a road named after him.
