Queen becomes defender of all faiths

London, Dec 26: The Queen, who is the head of the Church of England and ''Defender of the Faith'' became a defender of all faiths when she called on all faiths to work together to bridge the gap between the young and old people during her Christmas broadcast.

Breaking from tradition, her broadcast also featured footage of Muslims praying in a mosque for the first time. Images were shown of men praying in the main hall of the London Central Mosque near Regent's Park in London during Friday prayers.

Scenes of the opening of Europe's largest Hindu temple the Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) in Tividale in the West Midlands, were also televised along with a Jewish reception at St James's Palace which was attended by the Queen and the Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks.

She was also shown chatting informally to school-children at Southwark Cathedral in London as she helped them make a triptych collage of a nativity scene.

She said it was easy to focus on the differences between religions rather than what they had in common. ''The wisdom and experience of the great religions point to the need to nurture and guide the young, and to encourage respect for the elderly. It is very easy to concentrate on the differences between the religious faiths and to forget what they have in common - people of different faiths are bound together by the need to help the younger generation to become considerate and active citizens.

''And there is another cause for hope that we can do better in the future at bridging the generation gap. As older people remain more active for longer, the opportunities to look for new ways to bring young and old together are multiplying.'' Amongst other views expressed, the Queen said advances in modern science meant that elderly people were remaining active for longer, but that the fast pace of modern life was placing families under pressure. She called on young people to show more respect for the elderly and for old people to make more effort to understand the pressures of modern living.

''The pressures of modern life sometimes seem to be weakening the links which have traditionally kept us together as families and communities. As children grow up and develop their own sense of confidence and independence in the ever-changing technological environment, there is always the danger of a real divide opening up between young and old, based on unfamiliarity, ignorance or misunderstanding. It is worth bearing in mind that all of our faith communities encourage the bridging of that divide.''

She raised smiles in production crew when she said, ''I am reminded of a lady of about my age who was asked by an earnest, little granddaughter the other day 'Granny, can you remember the Stone Age?' Whilst that may be going a bit far, the older generation are able to give a sense of context as well as the wisdom of experience which can be invaluable. Such advice and comfort are probably needed more often than younger people admit or older people recognise.'' She was dressed in a lime green outfit and wore a brooch depicting flowers in a basket which was a present from her parents following the birth of the Prince of Wales in 1948.

UNI