Earlier this month, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle embarked on a ‘royal tour’ of Australia and a few other countries in the region. Their trip has received insurmountable media attention, especially for Meghan’s outfits and the relationship between the newlyweds. Thousands lined up to meet them; even if it meant waking up early just to catch a glimpse and maybe a handshake and/or selfie. If this doesn’t say anything about the Australian public, it definitely displays the need for us to re-evaluate our priorities. Yet, the issue with such behaviour is much deeper, and profoundly more severe than overly (and unjustifiably) obsessed fans. Here is why we shouldn’t accept, overlook or participate in these events:

1. The British Monarchy’s Dark Past

Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand (the countries included in this ‘royal tour’) are all members of the Commonwealth, along with 49 other nations. The Commonwealth is essentially a euphemism for ‘colonised lands’, and was created after the British Empire came to an end. Journalist Ruchira Sharma accurately refers to the Commonwealth as: “the ghost of colonial rule… a collection of Britain’s former colonies with their historic oppressor sort of leading them¹.” Speaking for Australia in particular, how dare we – the Australian public – welcome Harry and Meghan with open arms, rolling out red carpets for them to arrogantly tread on, when they represent the institution which massacred indigenous Australians? Australia’s dark and largely forgotten history will not forgive us for this.

Think about this – the indigenous Aboriginal Australians, who have been living on this land for over 60,000 years were suddenly, around 250 years ago, displaced from their own homes; tortured, massacred, humiliated and forced to ‘assimilate’ by the British invaders. And this was done under the command of whom? That’s right, it was ordered by the third great grandfather of the current Queen Elizabeth II – King George III of England.

How then, do we show so much love and admiration for the British royal family?

Australia is often described as ‘the best country in the world’, but I struggle to understand this statement. We live on stolen land, and we enjoy privilege on this stolen land. While, at the same time, most indigenous Australians live in conditions of poverty, mental illness and homelessness on their own soil².

Welcoming members of the British royal family onto this land is like taking ten steps backwards, analogous with allowing a thief who robbed your home to come inside and receive your ultimate hospitality.

Not only have we as a nation failed to merely acknowledge the past atrocities of British colonisation, we have made minimal effort to rectify the continuing mistreatment of Aboriginal Australians. Some might say ‘that happened a long time ago, I have nothing to do with it’ or ‘there’s nothing I can do to change what happened’. Yes, it did happen a long time ago, but you do indeed have a significant role in restoring justice. The first step is to acknowledge that the criminal colonisation of Australia by Britain was indeed criminal, and to then condemn this colonisation. Only then can we move forward as a nation.

Welcoming members of the British royal family onto this land is like taking ten steps backwards, analogous with allowing a thief who robbed your home to come inside and receive your ultimate hospitality. Who would do that? It sounds illogical but for some reason we are doing the exact same thing. Especially as Muslims, the responsibility that our religion places upon us is that we stand up against injustice – to speak up against it, to oppose it and to expose it. As stated by Mel Reeves in the Fight for Power Journal, “the British monarchy was directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths and misery of millions, primarily People of Colour and enriched itself in the process”³. Let us understand this evident reality and free ourselves from being deceived by glamorous public stunts.

 

2.    Our Dignity is at Stake

The concept of royalty is puzzling to me – ‘normal’ human beings assume an elite position and are put on a pedestal above everyone else, purely through hereditary means. They become entitled to the most expensive jewels, clothing, extravagant palaces and ultimate luxury, largely at the expense of the hard-working British taxpayer. Click here to see how much Meghan is spending on clothing during this tour – and keep in mind that the Australian dollar is close to 2 times the British pound – it’s quite shocking. How can you advocate for the abolishment of poverty when you are capitalising on your hugely excessive wealth? Imam Ali (as) says:

“No poor person goes hungry except as a result of what the rich person enjoys”.

فَمَا جَاعَ فَقِيرٌ إِلَّا بِمَا مُتِّعَ بِهِ غَنِيٌّ

[Nahjul Balagha, Saying 328]

Here, it becomes evident that as long as there are the rich, wealthy people, there will be the poor suffering in the depths of poverty. The former is the direct cause of the latter. That’s why the Islamic view of leadership is that leaders live not only on the level of the public, but in the same conditions as the most impoverished communities. That’s what the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did, and that’s what makes him the paramount example of a leader. Only in this way can a leader connect with people and cause real, genuine change. Living in a palace and wearing tiaras does quite the opposite.

 

 

Similarly, we may hear of the royal family advocating for equality, but it has become clear that they do so purely for public appeal and popularity. How can someone who claims to believe in equality, allow people to physically bow down to them, while they are dressed in clothing worth thousands of dollars and striding down a red carpet? The insincerity is so evident, yet somehow the majority of people are blinded to it.  They haven’t worked hard to get where they are, they haven’t made world-changing achievements – they’ve simply been born into, or married into a ‘royal family’. And what do we do? We line the streets in the thousands to welcome them. That is nothing short of humiliation.

3. It’s a Complete Waste of our Time

Every kingdom’s primary interest is the health and continuation of their kingdom and consequently, their wealth, power and status. In light of this, the actions carried by members of the royal family serve to fulfil this purpose. And this is exactly the manifestation of corruption. Corruption is defined as the abuse of public power for personal gain, and that is precisely what the monarchy does. They have millions of fans around the world, but they couldn’t care less about them.

We are taught by Imam Hussein that humiliation is not an option, so let’s be his followers and reject any opportunity at humiliation.

Being invested in the royal family (and celebrities in general) is, if nothing else, a pure waste of time. Countless headlines since the beginning of the tour have plagued the media, reporting petty and un-newsworthy events, such as ‘Meghan and Harry Go Barefoot on Bondi’ and “Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Hold Hands During Meeting with Tonga’s Prime Minister.” In a time where the people of Yemen are facing a famine, where Palestinians are losing their lives daily, and where there are refugee children stranded on Nauru, I think we can all agree that there are much more pressing, important issues that need our attention.

 

The coverage of the royal tour is a prime example of why you shouldn’t trust the media and the masses – it is a glorified and accessorised story that not only doesn’t deserve our attention, it demands our condemnation.

 

By Noor Alsaffar

1. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commonwealth-head-of-state-prince-charles-monarchy-colonialism-empire-a8314591.html
2. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-645-x/2010001/income-revenu-eng.htm
3. https://fightthepowerjournal.com/2018/05/22/meghan-markle-royal-wedding-cant-cover-up-the-crimes-of-british-empire/