Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the most senior priest in the Church of England, was urged to resign after he advocated introducing Islamic rules to the U.K.'s legal system, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Members of the Church of England's General Synod, the equivalent of its parliament, criticized Williams for his comments, saying he was undermining the Christian faith, the Telegraph said.

Senior clergy including Lord George Carey, who was Williams's predecessor as Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali and Reverend Tom Butler, the Bishop of Southwark, told the Telegraph that they opposed Williams's proposal.

In a speech on Feb. 7 Williams said that the introduction of some Muslim law was ``unavoidable,'' and some aspects should be introduced into the English legal system, the newspaper said.

To contact the reporter on this story: James Lumley in London jlumley1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 9, 2008 06:51 EST