Near Neighbours leader touched by King’s concern for inter-religious peace
A Near Neighbours hub lead was struck by King Charles III’s concern for good relationships between faith groups in the UK, after meeting His Majesty at a reception during Inter Faith Week.
Kaneez Khan MBE, lead of the Near Neighbours hub in West Yorkshire, spoke to the King for a few minutes during a reception at Lambeth Palace that was attended by around 30 faith leaders and community representatives, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and the Al Khoei Foundation’s interfaith co-ordinator, Aliya Azam.
Kaneez, centre, with His Majesty. Photo: Neil Turner/Lambeth Palace
Kaneez, who also carries out interfaith work with Wellsprings Together, the Together Network partner in the diocese of Leeds, said the King “was so nice and concerned about what is happening on the ground.” In his remarks to her, Kaneez added, “He also said women should be a part of conversations around peace and reconciliation.”
She added: “He talked to us all about the work we do, the importance of faith in our society, including the challenges of the times we are in for so many.”
Kaneez, who was made an MBE in January 2022 for her work on interfaith relations, said afterwards on Facebook: “It was an honour and a privilege to be invited by Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, to meet his Royal Highness the King today at Lambeth Palace Library for #interfaithweek.”
Liz Carnelley, Near Neighbours’ director of partnerships, said: “The royal family has honoured Near Neighbours several times over the years, including extending an invitation to Buckingham Palace in June 2019 for staff and funded projects, where we all shook hands with the Queen. In 2020 Prince William and Princess Catherine (as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) visited funded projects in West Yorkshire hosted by Kaneez, and now the new King has spent time talking to Kaneez about her work. The King has always been a great supporter of faith groups coming together to cooperate, and the royal family has seen the positive work of Near Neighbours at first hand. We are very proud of our work and this honour.”