Prince Harry and Meghan cut funding to Muslim women's coalition over its support for Palestine

Al Bawaba

20-04-2025

ALBAWABA - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle cut ties with group supporting Palestine.
The Muslim Women's Coalition (MMWC), a Muslim women's organization located in Milwaukee, lost funding from the Archewell Foundation, which was established by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, because of an opinion piece written by Janan Najeeb, the organization's founder, endorsing Palestine.
Establishing MMWC was done so with the goal of "empowering Muslim women and girls through education, leadership, awareness, and wellness programs to help them achieve their full potential." In an opinion piece published in the Wisconsin Muslim Journal in February 2024, Najeeb called the 75-year Israeli occupation of Palestine a "gross injustice" and claimed that "what is happening in Gaza is genocide." "We demand the liberation of Palestine, an end to the arming of the occupying and apartheid state of Israel, and a permanent ceasefire," she continued. Palestine will live eternally from the sea to the river and be free from the river to the sea.
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Archeol received a grant of £21,077 (or $27,960) in 2023, according to tax documents and US media publications like The New York Post and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Najeeb stated that the award amount for 2024 was approximately the same, although tax documents for that year are not yet available.
The money was meant to help Afghan refugee women in Milwaukee with initiatives like the Circle of Support and the Afghan Women's Sewing Group. Nevertheless, Archeol chose to sever ties with the coalition after the publication of the opinion article, deeming Najeeb's remarks "inconsistent" with the group's principles.
"We were recently made aware of an online opinion piece attributed to you that contradicts the values of the Arcule Foundation," the Arcule Foundation wrote in a letter to Naguib dated April 9, 2025, which was put on an online fundraising platform. Although our organization values diversity in viewpoints and backgrounds, hate speech, acts, and propaganda are unacceptable. MMWC is out of our network, and the coalition won't get more money.
d, "I will not apologize for my stance in defending human rights and for my rejection of the dehumanization of any people, including Palestinians." The Arcule Foundation's move, she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, is a part of a "broader trend" among groups to do away with any affiliation with pro-Palestinian views "for fear of criticism or retaliation." "It's regrettable that Archuleta, a donor, withdrew so rapidly," she remarked. Unfortunately, the news is not shocking; rather, it is consistent with what is happening around the country.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not yet made an official statement.