The UK’s National Memorial Arboretum recently brought together members of the British-Muslim communities and serving Muslim soldiers to remember those who have given their lives in the service of Britain.
The commemoration brought together some 200 Muslim youth, soldiers, and their families from counties across Britain for the tribute at the UK’s centre of remembrance.
The service saw representation and attendance from Muslim veterans of the World War 2 (WW2), Sergeant (retd) Mohammed Hussain and General Officer Commanding (GOC) for London District, Major General Benjamin Bathurst.
Supported by the Armed Forces Muslim Association (AFMA), the commemoration built on the successes of last years’ service, which was held at the World War 2 (WW1) Muslim Memorial in Woking, marking 100 years of the Armistice.
The unique event saw people delivering remembrance-related speeches and presentations followed by various activities and site visits and a commemoration service.
Imam Asim Hafiz is the Islamic Religious Advisor to the Chief of the Defence Staff and Service Chiefs and he commented at the event saying: “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.
There are around 450 Muslims serving in the Regular Army, and special provisions are made to accommodate the requirements of the faith for the Muslims in the army.
For over 100 years Muslims have played an integral role in the British armed forces, including the 430,000 who served in the first world war.
……………………………………………
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND SHARE WTX NEWS WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY:
Facebook – Please like our page
Twitter – Twitter updates available in English and Arabic. Please follow us and we would love to hear from you
Instagram – Follow our pages in English and Arabic
