Queen Elizabeth II: Religions across Coventry and Warwickshire unite in tribute

A service was held at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu temple in Coventry

Religious groups across Coventry and Warwickshire have marked the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu temple in Coventry was one of many to open their doors for a special ceremony.

Sherika Chohan from the temple's youth volunteer service said the whole service on Sunday was dedicated to the monarch, where prayers were offered.

Children have also taken part in a special "wellbeing" ceremony.

Sherika Chohan said the Queen had dedicated her life to her country

"If you look at the Queen she dedicated 70 years of her life to the people selflessly, and in the same way our ethos and our values, our Guru Pramukh Swarmi Maharaj did the same, he dedicated over 70 years of his life to the people," Ms Chohan said.

Although head of the Church of England, she said the monarch had been "Queen of the world".

"She related to every generation, and as Hindus I think the values and the ethos that we live by, she also lived by, so that's the reason we had the ceremony."

Those gathered also paid tribute to the new king.

"He was recently in Coventry a few months ago, and he spoke to a lot of Hindu organisations about how they had helped during the Covid pandemic," Ms Chohan said.

"King Charles has obviously embraced the Hindu community and fellowship across the country."

Elizabeth II had been "Queen of the world" said Sherika Chohan

Rabbi Yehuda Pink, of the Solihull synagogue and responsible for the Jewish congregations in Coventry and the surrounding area, said the Queen had united different faiths.

"I met her when she opened a new wing of the George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton," he said.

"It is seared in my memory that feeling of awe and respect as the Queen entered into the room."

Rabbi Yehuda Pink met the Queen on her visit to Nuneaton

"In Jewish tradition there is a Hebrew phrase which translates loosely as 'monarchy in this world gives us a reflection of the monarchy of God'," said Rabbi Pink.

"And by seeing the Queen and witnessing the awe and respect that she radiated, that gives a little bit of inkling how our relationships with God should be and that is something that a person of every faith can take away."

Rabbi Pink described the Queen as having a "deep" personal faith and that it was something "which people of all different faiths can unite under".

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