The former Bishop of Oxford, Lord Harries of Pentregarth has said readings from the Quran should feature in the next Coronation when Prince Charles succeeds to the Throne.
In a debate on the role of religion in British public life, Lord Harries, now an independent peer, praised what he called “the hospitality” shown in a service last year at Bristol Cathedral.
He said that at a civic service in Bristol Cathedral last year authorities had agreed to a reading of the opening passage of the Koran before the beginning of the Christian ritual.
He said: “It was a brilliant creative act of accommodation that made the Muslim high sheriff feel,” as she said, warmly embraced but did not alienate the core congregation.
“That principle of hospitality can and should be reflected in many public ceremonies, including the next coronation service.”
However, Douglas Murray, author and associate editor of The Spectator, disagreed saying: “A lot of people will think this is an example of Anglican leaders not having faith in their own faith.”
According to several international newspapers, Lord Harries’ suggestion comes more than 20 years after the Prince first said he would prefer to be seen as “Defender of Faith” rather than be known by the monarch’s title of “Defender of the Faith.”
Charles said in 1994 he “always felt the Catholic subjects of the sovereign are equally as important as the Anglican ones, as the Protestant ones.”
“Likewise, I think that Islamic subjects, or the Hindu subjects, or the Zoroastrian subjects of the sovereign, are of equal and vital importance.”
In 2006 the Prince made known that he wanted a multifaith coronation that would be more “focused and telecentric” than his mother’s in 1953.
However traditionalist Christians condemned the idea.