5 troubling facts you might not know about King Charles

For over 500 years, every British monarch has inherited the title “Defender of the Faith,” meaning defender of Christianity. But in 1994, Charles III, the Prince of Wales, declared that he wished to be called “Defender of Faith,” meaning defender of all religions.

Significantly, the faith King Charles seems most eager to defend is not the Church of England, which he heads. As commentator Tim Black observed, “Charles, it is fair to say, is an unabashed Islamophile.”

I was raised a Christian in the Islamic culture of Egypt. I can tell you with assurance that mainstream Muslims want to live in peace. But I’ve also known Islamist hard-liners who want to conquer the West. So, it troubles me that King Charles seems unable to distinguish between mainstream Muslims and Islamists.

Here are five facts you should know about King Charles III and Islam:

1. He studied Arabic to understand the Quran

In 1996, Nazim Al-Haqqani, the grand mufti of Cyprus, announced that Prince Charles was a closet Muslim, saying, “Did you know that Prince Charles has converted to Islam? Yes, yes. He is a Muslim.”

No, King Charles did not convert to Islam — but it’s easy to see why Al-Haqqani thought so. King Charles is clearly enamored of Islam and the Quran.

He studied Arabic with a private tutor so that he could read the Quran in the original language. At his Highgrove House residence, he expressed his love of the Quran by creating the Carpet Garden, inspired by Turkish carpet designs. “I planted fig, pomegranate, and olive trees in the garden,” he said, “because of their mention in the Quran.”

2. His passion for Islam has affected his judgment

King Charles’ admiration for Islam has earned him many friends in the Muslim world. Some of those friendships, however, seem to have compromised his judgment.

On three occasions, from 2011 to 2015, Prince Charles accepted cash-filled luggage from a friend in Qatar. Those gifts — donations to the prince’s charitable fund — totaled three million euros. They were in the form of €500 notes — the so-called “bin Laden denomination,” often used for financing terrorism. There’s no hint that Charles benefited personally or did anything illegal.

The donor was Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani (aka “HBJ”), one of the richest men in the world. HBJ was Qatar’s prime minister from 2007 to 2013. He also owned the $400 million luxury jet that Qatar recently gifted to President Donald Trump.

In addition to currying favor with King Charles and President Trump, Qatar has spent an estimated $2 billion financing the terror organization Hamas. Qatar has also spread the Islamist propaganda of the Muslim Brotherhood through Al Jazeera. As the Sunday Times concludes, Charles’ acceptance of Qatari cash casts doubt on his “impartiality in representing Britain on the world stage.”

3. He is reluctant to condemn terrorism

For decades, Charles has been reluctant to condemn Islamist terrorism. After the July 7, 2005, London suicide bombings (52 innocent people killed, nearly 800 injured), Prince Charles was eager to defend Islam. He said, “Islam preaches humanity, tolerance and a sense of community … These acts have nothing to do with any true faith.”

The terrorists disagree. They say that their actions conform to such passages as the famous Sword Verse: “Slay the idolaters wherever you find them” (Quran 9:5; see also 2:191 and 8:12).

4. He is highly critical of Western culture

For decades, King Charles has actively championed Islam as more enlightened than Western civilization — or even Christianity. In an October 1993 speech as patron of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, he declared, “Islam can teach us a way of understanding and living in the world which Christianity itself is poorer for having lost.”

Terrorism, he said, is the result of “extremism,” not Islamic ideology. “Extremism,” he explained, “is no more the monopoly of Islam than it is the monopoly of other religions, including Christianity.” If that’s so, where are the Christian suicide bombers?

5. He is prone to wishful thinking about Islam

It’s true that the Quran contains passages extolling peace and human liberty, such as Quran 2:256: “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error.”

But Charles selects favorable passages and ignores violent passages to craft a sanitized version of Islam. He projects onto Islam what he wishes it to be, not what it is.

If only King Charles would go to his Muslim friends and urge them to consider Christian-inspired values of freedom, human rights, and tolerance. That is what a Defender of the Faith should do.

The king’s adoration of Islam undermines his role as the Defender of the Faith. In the 21st century, when the relevance of the British monarchy is being widely questioned, King Charles has chosen to cast even more doubt on the crown’s role in matters of faith and culture. His irrational embrace of Islam has shattered the Christian foundation of the British crown.

Perhaps it’s time for this quaint but obsolete British tradition called “royalty” to come to an end.