LONDON: A Muslim charity chief has told Arab News that it was an 鈥渉onor鈥� to attend King Charles III鈥檚 coronation at Westminster Abbey.

Idris Patel, CEO of Supporting Humanity, was among 2,000 guests inside the abbey as Charles was crowned at the weekend.

鈥淗onestly, it was a very, very special and auspicious occasion, and something that will live long in my memory for me, and my kids will be able to say: 鈥楳y dad went to the coronation,鈥欌€� he told Arab News.

鈥淭he day itself was absolutely brilliant, I loved the way they respected everyone from all different religions and faiths, whereby the (order of service) they gave us said only kneel if you wish to kneel, you don鈥檛 have to sing certain hymns, it鈥檚 absolutely fine but please just respect those who do wish to by not talking.

鈥淚 have to respect them for that, as they did understand that, given it was a Christian (ceremony), some people may not feel comfortable saying 鈥楯esus is lord鈥�, and said only say if you feel you agree,鈥� he added.

Patel said he was particularly impressed with the organization and how inclusive the invitation list was.

鈥淭hey took everything into account, planned everything to a tee and respected other people鈥檚 sensitivities, it was a privilege, it was stupendous,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t felt like a rainbow in the abbey, as they did invite people of every ethnicity, every background, so it wasn鈥檛 about how poor or rich you were, or what color you were, and it felt like they鈥檇 made sure you were invited no matter where you were from,鈥� he added.

Patel rejected criticism of the timing and cost of the coronation, with taxpayers footing its estimated 拢100 million ($126.4 million) bill during a cost-of-living crisis.

He said people should see how they can help the needy, the homeless and more vulnerable members of society themselves, rather than criticizing the event.

鈥淚鈥檝e heard all the criticism, it doesn鈥檛 matter what they say about the Royal family, for me it was an honor to be invited,鈥� he said.

鈥淵es the monarchy has spent a lot of money, but on the day of judgment, everyone will be responsible for themselves, for the way they spent money, and it鈥檚 quite a big occasion for (the monarchy) and they believe it brings in billions of pounds in tourism every year,鈥� he said.

Patel鈥檚 invitation was in recognition of his work as founder of the Supporting Humanity charity, which was formed during the coronavirus pandemic initially to help provide food and support communities in the Greater London area.

And he has big expansion plans for the charity and how it can help even further, especially in growing its focus on the provision of mental health, suicide prevention and bereavement fields.

鈥淔rom where we were and where we鈥檙e at now, we鈥檝e grown dramatically, we hope to get bigger and better,鈥� he said.

鈥淥ne of the things we鈥檙e looking at is mental health, in the South Asian and Caribbean communities it鈥檚 something seen more as 鈥榖lack magic,鈥� so we鈥檙e trying to change that attitude and trying to get people to understand, respect and believe that mental health (issues) are an illness that needs professional help.

鈥淲e鈥檙e focusing on places of worship, not just mosques, but also churches, synagogues, temples and gurdwaras and looking to increase engagement and build networks with these sort of places so that it becomes less of an issue.鈥�

Patel was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. He was also the recipient of a British Citizen Award Medal of Honour for his services to the community.

The medals are awarded to people who have carried out 鈥渕eritorious鈥� actions for their community.