- Charles denounced the radicalisation of young Britons by Islamic fanatics
- He said they should show more respect to 'the values we hold dear'
- Comments were made as he started a six-day tour of the Middle East
- He will tell new Saudi king to show clemency to Saudi blogger Raif Badawi
- Sentence of 1,000 lashes and ten years in jail caused international outrage
- Prince last night arrived in Jordan, where he will meet King Abdullah II
In a staunch defence of Britain's 'Christian standpoint,' he denounced the radicalisation of young Britons by Islamic fanatics and said they should show more respect to 'the values we hold dear'.
People who had 'come here, were born here or go to school here' should 'abide by our values,' he said. His comments were made as he started a six-day tour of the Middle East, seen as another stage in assuming more of the Queen's international duties.
Prince Charles wears traditional uniform in Saudi Arabia last year - he will now tell new Saudi king Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud that he should stop the 1,000 lashes handed down as punishment to blogger Raif Badawi
It is a clear response to critics who say he should not meddle in sensitive political matters. The Prince will also challenge Arab leaders head-on during the trip.
The Mail on Sunday can disclose that he is to tell new Saudi king Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud to his face that he should stop the 1,000 lashes handed down as punishment to Saudi blogger Raif Badawi for comments which the regime claimed were critical of Islam.
Prince Charles last night called for a halt to the persecution of Christians by Islamic State and other militant Islamic groups, telling them bluntly: 'We were in the Middle East before you.'
And he killed off speculation that when he becomes King he will give up the Monarch's traditional 'defender of the faith' role in favour of a multicultural 'defender of faiths' title.
His renewed 'defender of the faith' pledge will be seen by some as a U-turn and a signal that the Monarch's role as the head of the Church of England is far from over.
The Prince's intervention comes hard on the heels of a new book which claims the Queen is worried that her heir plans to be an 'activist king'. The Prince's comments on Islam and Christianity are broadcast in an interview with BBC Radio 2's The Sunday Hour this morning, suggesting he plans to be very active.
'The radicalisation of people in Britain is a great worry, and the extent to which this is happening is alarming, particularly in a country like ours where we hold values dear,' he says. 'You would think the people who have come here, or are born here, and go to school here, would abide by those values and outlooks.'
It was 'frightening' that young British Muslims were radicalised by 'crazy stuff on the internet'.
Charles will reinforce his tough stance on Islamic extremism by telling the new Saudi king to show clemency to Saudi blogger Badawi.
His sentence of 1,000 lashes and ten years in jail over his website which encouraged Saudis to criticise Islam and their rulers has caused international outrage.
Diplomatic sources say that Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud may pay more attention to Charles, a fellow royal, than a foreign political leader.
The Prince last night touched down in Jordan, where he will meet Jordanian King Abdullah II, before travelling on to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Charles also intends to use his Middle East tour to call for an end to attempts to drive Christians out of the region. IS terrorists slaughtered thousands of Yazidis and Christians in Northern Iraq, and Christians are also threatened in other Muslim countries.
If nothing was done, the time could soon come when 'there are no Christians left in the Middle East… they are intimidated to a degree you can't believe,' the Prince said.
He rammed home his point in uncharacteristically plain terms: 'The tragedy is even greater because Christians have been in the Middle East for 2,000 years, before Islam came in the 8th Century.'
Furthermore, the Prince went out of his way to quash claims that he does not want to be 'Defender of the Faith' when he inherits the throne. He said his comment about being 'defender of faiths' to embrace all religions – made 20 years ago – had been 'misinterpreted'.
The Church of England's role was not to defend Anglicism to the exclusion of other religions, he said, but to protect the free practice of all faiths.
He would approach it from a 'Christian standpoint' and be both 'defender of the faith' and 'defender of faiths.'
The former Bishop of Oxford, Lord Harries, said the Prince's comments were a 'helpful clarification'. He said some had seen the Prince's earlier remarks as watering down the Church of England's historic role in an increasingly multi-faith country.
Lord Harries said the Prince may have been advised he could not easily change the traditional title, given to Monarchs since Henry VIII, because of the constitutional implications.
The Prince appeared to accept he could be 'deeply immersed' in his own faith in the Church of England while being 'protective of other faiths'.
Lord Harries said: 'He is making the important point that they are not mutually exclusive.'
Prince Charles's trip to the Middle East and his radio interview come after a new book Charles: Heart Of A King by writer Catherine Mayer, claimed that the Queen is concerned her son will be an 'activist' Monarch.
Charles's principle private secretary William Nye was forced to write a public letter describing it 'ill-informed speculation'. He said Charles was 'inspired' by his mother's example and understood the 'necessary and proper limitations' on the role of a constitutional Monarch.
Ms Mayer's biography claims Charles disagrees with the bans imposed in France and Belgium on Muslim women covering their faces with burkas and niqabs, seeing the move as 'an infringement of human rights' which criminalises women rather than challenging the custom.
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