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Good morning. The Inter Faith Network has come into the spotlight recently with the government paying close attention to its work. For almost 40 years, the charity has been the main interfaith organisation in the UK, trying to ensure that there is greater mutual understanding as to the different religions found throughout this country. Understanding the different beliefs of others has been an important feature of human existence throughout history. From the religious diversity seen in ancient civilisations in Rome, Egypt and India, through to the various activities that take place each November during Inter Faith Week, the ability to engage with people with differing life views is one that is familiar to us. For Sikhs, interfaith relations have been a key aspect of the religion ever since Guru Nanak was born over 550 years ago. During his many travels, the Guru is said to have visited pilgrimage sites for Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists, and he would actively seek out conversations with people who were different to himself. In Mecca, he debated with an imam about the omnipresent nature of the Almighty. In Tibet, he is revered by some Buddhists as a reincarnation of one of their own Gurus, possibly as a result of the spiritual and philosophical similarities between the two religions. And on the banks of the Ganges, Guru Nanak discussed the relevance of ritual worship with Hindu priests and pilgrims. Throughout these travels, he was accompanied by his musician and best friend who was a practising Muslim. The Sikh scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib, is a shining interfaith example in itself. Within it are contained the verses of Hindu and Muslim saints alongside those from the Sikh Gurus and others. Whilst the faiths of the writers may be different, their reflections on the oneness of humanity and its relationship with the Almighty resonated enough with Sikh beliefs to be included as part of Sikh teachings. Some of the Sikh Gurus went even further. The 6th Guru had a mosque built in a town where the Muslim community had no communal space for prayer. The 9th Guru ultimately gave his life in defence of the Hindu faith and freedom of religion and belief more generally, for which he became known as the ‘protector of humanity’. Even today, from responses to the climate crisis through to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities, you will see people of faith united in their actions as a direct result of their religious beliefs. That to me is one of the most powerful ways of bringing people together, helping to build respect and understanding for each other, as well as allowing us to celebrate our similarities as well as our differences. In a fractured world, interfaith work is probably needed more than ever.