Archbishop of Canterbury praises Britain's Muslims
Dr Rowan Williams said that Islamic people had helped promote the discussion of faith in a society that had become "rather unfriendly" for religious people.
His comments to a Muslim newspaper come a year after he faced calls to resign after saying it was inevitable that Sharia law would be introduced into Britain.
In an interview with the Muslim News published on Friday, he said: "I think Islam has made a very significant contribution to getting a debate about religion into public life.
"And I think it's very right that we should have these debates and discussions between Muslims and Christians and others in public....
