Ten Armed Forces personnel have completed an Umrah, the Islamic religious pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia and visited the Islamic Holy sites of Mecca and Medina. Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, and can be undertaken at any time of the year. Whilst considered the ‘lesser pilgrimage’ when compared with the Hajj, Umrah holds huge value and reward in Islam.
The personnel also undertook a number of meetings with key religious stakeholders, to promote an increased understanding of the UK armed forces in the region. These included engagements with the highest judges in Mecca, and a visit to the charity Hadiyah, where they were briefed on the organisation’s work. The programme included a meeting with the UK Consul General for Jeddah, who thanked the team for visiting and underlined the importance of building mutual understanding between the UK and Saudi Arabia. The group were hosted by the Saudi Armed Forces while in-country and met with the Head of the Religious Directorate of the Royal Saudi Arabia Armed Forces.
Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt in a statement said, “The Armed Forces are here for everyone in the UK and every community. We are here to serve you. And we are you.”
“The personal testimonies of those on this visit underline the importance they place on their faith, and how many of those values are shared with their military life.
“As an open and diverse employer, the Armed Forces allows individuals to deepen their faith, and I’m pleased that those on the visit talked so highly about the support they received.
“Visits like this demonstrate our commitment to the society we serve.”
Islamic Religious Advisor to the Chief of Defence Staff, Imam Asim Hafiz, said, “While fewer than 1% of the UK Armed Forces hold the Islamic faith, the MOD is absolutely committed to diversity and has a range of initiatives under its diversity and inclusion programme to ensure that individuals from all faiths and backgrounds are welcome and feel comfortable in the military.
“This includes embedding a diversity and inclusion culture within the leadership of the armed forces, increase the retention and progression of people from underrepresented groups.”
Cpl Nasir Adam of 11 Explosive Ordinance Disposal & Search Regiment told Asian Voice, “Discipline is the paramount military value that coincides with the values of the Umrah. In the Umrah, an individual has to follow certain rules and regulations to make their Umrah acceptable. These are strict guidelines that have to be followed and an individual has to be very disciplined in following these as the Umrah will not be valid without it.
“Respect for others is another crucial shared value, as during the Umrah in Mecca and Medina you are in crowds of a million people a day, mixing with people of different cultural backgrounds and languages, who were in close proximity throughout our trip in the mosques.”
Cpl Sohail Ifraz from 24 Commando, Royal Engineers said, “The Umrah has given our hosts a real opportunity to speak with us, as counterparts in the military, about life as Muslims in two very different militaries. They were also very humbled to learn of the support that we are offered as Muslims in the British Armed Forces.“
