Leaders from other religions praise an empathetic ‘Defender of the Faith’

Religious faiths across the Borough have paid their respects to the Queen.

Though the Queen was a devout follower of the Christian faith, people of other religions in the UK and Commonwealth still felt a connection to her.

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain of Maidenhead Synagogue, said in an address at the Synagogue:

“Her official title may have been ‘Defender of the Faith’, referring exclusively to the Church of England, but in reality her reign has seen all faiths flourish.

“She gave out a very clear message from the first year of her reign that she recognised Britain was a multi-faith society and wanted to encourage it to be a tolerant pluralist society.”

This weekend, there was ‘a very powerful’ Sabbath service at the Synagogue which included a tribute to the Queen from Rabbi Romain, followed by everyone present adding their own thought or favourite memory.

The result was the service ended ‘much later than usual.’ The service ended by singing ‘God Save the King’.

Rabbi Romain said everyone found it ‘surprisingly emotional’ to sing it for the first time.

The congregation of Maidenhead Mosque has also reflected on the Queen’s passing.

Members recall fondly when the Queen visited the old Citizen’s Advice Bureau centre in the 1980s, when it was next to the mosque.

Zia Mahiudin trustee of Maidenhead Mosque, offered his condolences on its behalf:

“We say this quote, from the Quran: ‘Indeed we belong to God, and indeed to Him we will return.’”

Mohan Malhotra, president of the Hindu Society in Maidenhead, said that for the society’s next gathering, a minute’s silence for the Queen was ‘top of the agenda’.

“Everybody loved her. She did so much work for all the communities around the world, always with a smiling face,” he said.

“I don’t think anyone has ever done a better job.”

Kulwant Singh Hans, president of Maidenhead Gurdwara, said:

“The Queen was hugely admired by everyone at the [Gurdwara].

“Her rule was empathetic, peaceful, bringing communities together, and a great uniting force for the commonwealth”.

The Sikh community is organising a prayer in tribute to the Queen on Monday, 7-8pm at the Gurdwara at 31 Rutland Road.