She’s head of the Church of England, but historians believe the Queen has ties to another ancient religion: Islam.
The Moroccan newspaper Assahifa Al-Ousbouia says historians have traced the Queen’s lineage back 40 generations, suggesting her bloodline runs through English, Scottish and European royalty until it reaches Muslim kings of Spain and, through them, the founder of Islam – the Prophet Muhammad.
It’s not the first time such claims have been made. The findings were first published in Burke’s Peerage, Britain’s bible of aristocratic genealogy, back in 1986, The Australian reported.
At the time Burke’s publishing director Harold Brooks-Baker, wrote to then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher, calling for increased security for the royal family.
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“The royal family’s direct descent from the prophet Mohammed cannot be relied upon to protect the royal family forever from Muslim terrorists,” he said.
Recognising the link would be a surprise to many, he added: “It is little known by the British people that the blood of Mohammed flows in the veins of the queen”.
The Queen’s family tree dates back to Richard of Conisburgh, England, grandfather of King Richard III, who died in 1415. However prior to that, according to historians, it moves to Spain, and to Richard’s mother, Isabella of Castile, daughter of Pedro, King of Castile and Leon until 1369.
From here, the line is traced to Abbad al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abbad, the Muslim king of Seville, who died in 1042, then on back to Hasan ibn Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson through his youngest daughter Fatima. From there, it reaches the Prophet who died in the 7th century.
Abdelhamid Al-Aouni, who wrote the Moroccan article, said: “It builds a bridge between our two religions and kingdoms,” The Daily Mail reported.
According to The Australian, David Starkey, the acclaimed British historian, said the theory was “not at all outlandish”. Starkey told The Times of London, that there was a lot of intermarriage between English and Spanish royal families. He added that the “the medieval monarchs of Spain and the Islamic royal houses were very close and totally intermeshed,” while the early caliphates (an area containing an Islamic steward) of Islam were based in Spain.
Muhammad was born in Saudi Arabia in 570 and those of the Islam faith believe he was chosen by God as his messenger on earth.