Lawmakers, Muslims Criticize Prince Over Comments

Lawmakers, Muslim groups and the Pakistani public criticized Prince Harry on Sunday after a British newspaper published video footage of him using offensive and racist language.

Britain's Prince William, right, applauds after his brother Prince Harry, left, delivered a speech...

Britain's Prince William, right, applauds after his brother Prince Harry, left, delivered a speech in London, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009. The Princes were attending a reception as joint patrons to mark the formal launch of the charity the Henry Van Strawbenzee Memorial Fund. The Princes were attending the reception as joint patrons to mark the formal launch of charity the Henry Van Strawbenzee Memorial Fund, which was set up following the death of Henry Van Strawbenzee - also a friend of the Princes - and aims to support schools in Uganda, where Henry was working. (AP Photo/Toby Melville/pool)

(AP)

Harry, third in line to the British throne and an army lieutenant, issued an apology on Saturday after the News of The World reported that he had used offensive terms to refer to people from Pakistan and people of Arab descent.

Britain's opposition Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, said Harry's comments undermined work to root out racism from the country's armed forces. "It is obviously a completely unacceptable thing to say," Cameron told the BBC.

The paper reported that Harry made the remarks in 2006 during a visit to Cyprus to carry out training exercises with fellow military cadets. In part of the video apparently filmed by Harry himself, he refers to one colleague as "our little paki friend" — using a derogatory term for people of Pakistani origin.

Iftikhar Raja told the BBC the cadet was his nephew Ahmed Raza Khan, who he said is now a captain in Pakistan's army. He said Khan graduated from the Sandhurst military school in 2006 and received an award from Queen Elizabeth II as the best overseas officer cadet.

"We expect better from our Royal Family on whom we spend millions and millions of pounds for training and schooling," Raja told the BBC.

In a second video clip, Harry calls another cadet — who is wearing a headscarf — a "raghead." The newspaper said that the video was filmed by other cadets and supplied to the newspaper.

Harry's language "is sickening, and he should be thoroughly ashamed of himself," said Mohammed Shafiq, director of the Ramadan Foundation — a British Muslim youth organization.

Labour Party lawmaker Khalid Mahmood, a Muslim, also criticized Harry over the comments. "He needs to understand that this is not acceptable, especially in light of the office that he is going to hold in the army and as a member of the royal family," Mahmood said.