ties that bind - sep 11

The pamphlet, ‘What is a quisling?’, defines a quisling as anyone who ‘is a
traitor to his country’. 218 Speaking more directly about Arabs who might support
the Nazis, the father tells his son:
When German agents come and whisper in his ear that they will assist him to save his country,
he is easily deceived by their pretences and so is willing to deliver his country into their hands,
hoping to obtain his reward from them. This is one kind of quisling. 219
Injunctions from the Quran about Satan leading people astray clearly suggest to
the Muslim audience (for whom these pamphlets were intended) that Nazi plans
are comparable to those of the devil.
It is clear that Arberry borrowed heavily from the style which Najati Sidki
adopted in his original pamphlet. However, whereas Sidki delivered parables and
examples from Islamic history for his readers, Arberry’s pamphlets educate more
broadly about events in Europe.
They also present a much wider selection of Nazi writings and tracts about
those aspects of its doctrines that concerned Arabs – such as its attitudes towards
Islam. Passages from the Quran are also invoked alongside speeches made by
British parliamentarians in order to draw parallels between Islamic and British
interests in the war. ‘Ahmad’ is consequently told by his father:
I do not think it is impiety to compare the victory of the RAF in the Battle of Britain with
the victory of our Lord Mohammed in the Battle of Hubaibiya [sic]. God’s words came
true again in the [Islamic] year 1359 as they did in the year 6. 220
Thus, any Arab who supported the Nazis ‘would have proved himself unworthy
of his Arab blood, and would have departed the fold of the faithful’. 221
Following the war, efforts were also taken to ensure that the contribution
of Muslim servicemen was acknowledged and celebrated. For example, as the
war approached its end, King George VI visited the Islamic Cultural Centre in
Regent’s Park. The site was a gift from the British government, and
Parliament made £100,000 available for the centre. It was to be
supplemented after the war with a mosque funded from Muslim sources. A
press clipping reported:
King George was really fulfilling the dreams of Britons and Muslims who in the lifetime of his
grandfather, Edward VII, had advocated the establishment of some such focus within the heart
of the Metropolis. As long ago as 1910, it was realised that in the capital of an Empire which
had more Muslim subjects (100 million) than Christian subjects (80 million), there ought to
be special facilities for the spiritual and cultural welfare of such Muslims as resided in Britain
or were passing through London. 222
Government was also very keen to ensure that the Indian contribution did not go
unnoticed. Copies of ‘India at War’ – an encomium to Indian participation
produced by the India Office – underscored the vital role Indian forces were
playing. The booklet, translated into six different languages, was sent far and wide
– with copies despatched to both Houses of Parliament, the Boy Scouts, Prison
Commission, and the Labour and Conservative Parties. 223
Muslims in the World Wars
218 Ibid, p.13
219 Ibid.
220 Ibid, p.16
221 Ibid.
222 The Muslim attitude to war
by Najate Sidki, L/I/1/876 file no.
462/38 F, pp.17-20, IOR, BL,
London
223 European War, Booklet: India
at War, (1941) L/I/1/903 file no.
462/46, IOR, BL, London
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