Queen Elizabeth called for mutual respect and greater religious tolerance as she delivered her annual Christmas message yesterday....

In the speech broadcast to Britain and the Commonwealth, the Queen's Christmas broadcast featured for the first time footage of Muslims praying in a mosque.

Britain's 1.5 million Muslims have been at the centre of a number of controversies over the past year, from the continued focus on the threat of Islamist terrorism to heated debate on the full veil worn by some Muslim women.

"It is very easy to concentrate on the differences between the religious faiths and to forget what they have in common -- people of different faiths are bound together by the need to help the younger generation to become considerate and active citizens," the monarch stressed. [Link]