A request by a Hindu priest to recite the opening prayer in the British House of Commons has been turned down.
Rajan Zed, who had become the first person to read a Hindu prayer at the United States Senate in July, had requested that he be allowed to recite similar passages in Sanskrit at the opening of the House of Commons.
Denying his request, Secretary to the Speaker of House of Commons Angus Sinclair said that since 1660, prayers have been conducted by the Church of England, a Protestant denomination with the Christian faith, Zed said.
"The Church of England is the established Church of the United Kingdom and any change to the prayers could only occur after much parliamentary debate which would precede consultation with the Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth the Second. Please understand that there is no compulsion for Members of Parliament to attend prayers," Sinclair added.
The communication from Sinclair was released by Zed, who is based in Nevada, US.
In another communication, Pamela Carrington, Rector's Secretary, St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey, said, "Canon Wright (Canon Robert Wright, the Speaker's Chaplain) asked me to say that, regrettably, this is not possible -- Prayers in the Chamber are always said by the Anglican Chaplain."
Zed had also recited the first Hindu prayers in the California State Senate, the Nevada State Senate and the Nevada State Assembly this year.