On 28th September Saturday, National Muslim Service of Commemoration was held at the National Arboretum. The ceremony brought together members of British Muslim communities to remember those who sacrificed their lives while serving Britain in line of duty. Members included Muslim veteran of WWII, Sgt (Retd) Mohammed Hussain and General Officer Commanding London District, Major General Ben Bathurst.
“Engaging with British Muslim communities in an intimate event allowed us to celebrate the service and sacrifice from our wider UK communities.
“The Armed Forces are proud of the contribution of British Muslims serving today alongside colleagues from many backgrounds. Through this commemoration, in showing our respect alongside local communities, we hope to inspire future generations of Muslim recruits as well as those of other faiths and none,” said Major Naveed Muhammad MBE, the Army’s National Liaison Officer and former Chair of the Armed Forces Muslim Association (AFMA).
Reports indicate that about 400,000 Indian Muslim soldiers had served for Britain in WW1 from Mesopotamia to the Western Front. This Commemoration service was supported by the AFMA.
“It’s important that we held a Service of Commemoration to honour and respect those who served for our country. We also wanted the event to reaffirm that being Muslim is absolutely compatible with military life.
“It is now more vital than ever that our Armed Forces represent the society we serve and this event allowed us to highlight the scale and history of contribution of British Muslims to this country that goes much deeper than many realise,” said Imam Asim Hafiz.
