For some, the royal household is an outdated relic of vainness and a reminder of Britain’s horrific colonial previous.
Essentially the most intimate encounter that Junayd ul Islam had with the British royal household was when the late Queen Elizabeth II visited the hospital the place he had simply been born.
“I'm typically reminded of this by my mom,” Junayd, who's now an undergraduate scholar in Pure Sciences at College School London, instructed Al Jazeera.
“Nothing might have ready my somewhat-confused mom for this go to by the queen to commemorate the monarch’s golden jubilee,” he stated.
The royal household has been an everyday fixture of British society, and the nation’s 2.5 million Muslims should not proof against their affect.
“Irrespective of who you might be or what you do, you'll find the British monarchy getting into your consciousness,” Junayd added whereas considering the current passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
The loss of life of the nation’s longest-reigning sovereign has elicited widespread curiosity however blended reactions from the inhabitants.
Elizabeth inherited the crown in 1952 after the loss of life of her father, King George VI, and oversaw the accelerated unravelling of the British empire abroad.
Throughout her time period as nominal head of state, 15 prime ministers took cost of the UK, and she or he is usually described within the fashionable media as “the rock round which trendy Britain was constructed”.
Colonial legacy
Whereas some see the royal household as an important anchor round which the nation coalesces via affluent in addition to robust occasions, others discover it to be an outdated relic of vainness and a reminder of Britain’s horrific colonial previous.
“The colonial legacy that the (late queen) represented has had a permanent influence whereas she immediately benefitted from that very same legacy,” Aqsa Ahmed, who research historical past at London’s College of Oriental and African Research and works within the training sector, instructed Al Jazeera.
Aqsa believes that the “queen lived a particularly privileged life compared to a lot of the nation and even the world”.
Shaahid Ashraff, who research medication at College School London and traces his household’s origins to the previously colonised Sri Lanka, finds an ambivalence within the angle of his household in the direction of the British empire.
“There isn't a vital ardour for or in opposition to the British empire,” Shaahid instructed Al Jazeera.
Though he provides that there's a sentiment of delight hooked up to Sri Lanka gaining independence from Britain.
On a extra private stage, Shaahid finds the occasion of the queen’s loss of life to be emotionally inconsequential.
“Emotionally, this doesn't have an effect on me an excessive amount of. Nevertheless, I perceive the historic significance of the occasion,” Aqsa mirrored Shaahid’s sentiment.
“From a social perspective, whereas the occasion is intriguing, I by no means idolised the queen,” Aqsa added. “To me, personally, she by no means actually represented something.”
Interfaith unity
For Zara Mohammed, the secretary normal of the Muslim Council of Britain, one of many nation’s largest and strongest organisations for Muslims, the late queen was consultant of devotion to public service and interfaith unity.
“Her Majesty’s reign noticed extraordinary change in our nation. Over seven many years (of her reign), the UK has seen itself reworked right into a multicultural and multi-faith society,” Zara stated in a press release.
Nevertheless, the anti-Muslim prejudice in Britain has seen a surge, with a current survey by the College of Birmingham describing the nation’s giant Muslim inhabitants as one of many “least appreciated” inhabitants teams.
“About 25.9 p.c of the British public really feel adverse in the direction of Muslims (with 9.9 p.c feeling ‘very adverse’),” the survey, performed final 12 months, revealed.
For a lot of British Muslims, together with Shaahid Ashraff, the nation stays a haven for freely practising Islam.
“In comparison with my experiences in different Western nations, together with nearly all of mainland Europe and Australia, I've discovered Britain to be most secure to follow my faith,” Shaahid stated. “I'd not hesitate to drag out a prayer mat in a public park.”
When requested concerning the new King Charles III affirming the vitality of the Christian religion throughout his reign, Shaahid and Junayd agree that it's going to not dent Britain’s dedication in the direction of embracing spiritual range.
“The brand new king has proven a powerful curiosity in Islam and openness to study,” Junaid stated. “The duty additionally falls upon us to open the drawbridge and embrace him with open arms.”
‘Outdated nature’
Whereas describing Queen Elizabeth II’s late husband Philip as explicitly “racist”, Aqsa Ahmed, nevertheless, stated that the controversy surrounding Megan Markle, a non-white girl who married one of many queen’s grandchildren, Prince Harry, was an instance of the outdated nature of the British monarchy.
“The hysteria surrounding the wedding of a non-white girl into the royal household is itself a press release on the establishment’s outdated nature,” he stated.
Throughout the British Muslim group, there appears to be a widespread consensus of admiration on the difficulty of the late Princess Diana, the previous spouse of the present king.
“The one approach that the monarchy did characteristic in our house was in adoration for Princess Diana,” Karim Shah, an Emmy-award-winning filmmaker, instructed Al Jazeera.
Diana is usually seen as a tragic determine who tried to problem the strict norms of the royal household.
Each Aqsa Ahmed and Shaahid Ashraf recall their households’ constructive impressions of the late princess, who died in a automobile accident in 1997.
“Inside my household, I bear in mind numerous critique directed in the direction of the late queen for a way she dealt with [the events surrounding Diana]”, Aqsa recalled.
Because the nation entered a sustained interval of mourning, the Muslim communities additionally remained delicate and conscious of the overall emotions surrounding the occasion.
“Now's the time to supply condolences and search for what unites us fairly than divides us,” Junayd stated.
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