ties that bind - sep 11

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martyrs. 423 His views provoked a flurry of activity and he later issued a clarification of his position explaining: ...we [the British Muslim Forum] encourage British Muslim citizens to play a part in all aspects of British life. This included pursuing careers where Muslims were under-represented including the Armed Forces of this country. As citizens of this country, our allegiance must be demonstrated in all spheres. [...] As far as the much contentious issue of ‘martyrdom' is concerned, they were, and are, Conclusion – Reviving Muslim Service in the Armed Forces “ The MoD and armed forces appoint faithspecific chaplains to meet the religious needs of servicemen and women ” my personal views and have been supported by our scholars: anyone making the ultimate sacrifice of his/her life for their country is considered by that country a national hero and a martyr. The word martyr is widely used by countries throughout the world to honour their heroes. The British Armed Forces are the same. Why should a British Muslim soldier not be honoured in the same way as any other British soldier? 424 Appealing directly to Muslims The MoD and armed forces appoint faith-specific chaplains to meet the religious needs of servicemen and women. In the case of Muslims, the MoD employs a full-time clerically qualified Muslim chaplain. Our military is both a politically sensitive organisation and an institution that should be equally welcoming for British citizens of all backgrounds. These significant appointments certainly do not require interference from self-appointed community groups outside the formal military structure, which claim to represent what Muslims think. The armed forces should be able to promote themselves to all British citizens without reference to activist groups whose central purpose is not the defence of the realm. The most effective solution both for Muslims and the armed forces is the outreach work the Muslim chaplain has carried out in the United Kingdom and also in theatres of operation overseas. In contrast, those who hold advisory roles in the religious affairs of the armed forces may have insufficient experience of the demands of life in the military. The move away from the traditional model of appealing to Muslims through gatekeeper organisations and sectarian groups means that new ways must be found to reach them. The academic study of Muslim attitudes found that Muslims themselves suggested that the MoD should target educational institutions (16 percent) and provide more information specifically targeted at them about military careers and life in the armed forces (15 percent). 425 This would require the MoD to directly engage young Muslims in new ways, possibly through initiating a schools tour with lectures and seminars delivered by serving Muslim soldiers. A serving Muslim soldier in the Army told Policy Exchange about his tours of duty in Iraq, particularly in Mosul and Umm Qasr – where he was able to freely attend congregational prayers in a local mosque wearing British military uniform without any problems. Indeed, he explained that many Iraqis in the south 423 This is a different Khurshid Ahmed to the one who is a member of the Jamaat-e Islami party in Pakistan and chairman of the Islamic Foundation in Leicester. 424 http://www.mpacuk.org/ content/view/3158/102/ 425 Asifa Hussain and Mohammed Ishaq, British Pakistani Muslims’ Perceptions of the Armed Forces, Armed Forces and Society, Vol.28, No. 4, Summer 2002, p.612 policyexchange.org.uk | 89
Ties that Bind 426 http://web.archive.org/web/ 20090904051438/http://www.m od.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceN ews/HistoryAndHonour/FirstMusl imBattalionGuardsTheQueen.htm 427 Ibid. 428 For example, lessons might be learnt from Bradford Army Recruitment Information Office (ACIO) and Bradford City Council. Bradford ACIO offer those interested in an armed forces career both one day courses, known as ‘Personal Development Activities’, and longer, five day, residential courses. Furthermore, the ACIO and council have worked together on projects to bring local Muslims into contact with the armed forces and, significantly, a number of serving and ex-serving Muslim soldiers. 90 | policyexchange.org.uk regarded him, and the British forces, as their allies. These are powerful stories for young Muslims to hear, far removed from the al-Qaeda worldview which paints a picture of universal Muslim disgust at western military intervention in Muslim countries. Al-Qaeda’s message is belied by the actual experience of Muslim soldiers serving in those conflicts. Indeed, some of those I met while compiling this report are not just remarkable soldiers, but also have an impressive command of the Arabic language and knowledge of Islamic sciences. Surely they are far better placed than FCO officials in addressing the concerns of mosque congregations about the tensions between British foreign policy, being Muslim and serving their country? There are other ways to engage Muslims, too. In May 2008, 120 soldiers from the Royal Malay Regiment became the first all-Muslim Company to provide the ceremonial guard for a British monarch. 426 The red jackets and black bearskins of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards gave way to the white tunics, and brocade ‘sampins’ (sarongs) of the Royal Malay Regiment, after they arrived in London on an official visit to strengthen ties between Malaysia and the UK. Major Norhisham bin Kamar, of the Royal Malay Regiment, noted that it was a proud moment for them: ‘This is a very historical moment for us doing this job, and we will show the best to the audience here, as well as to the Queen’. He continued: Nowadays there is some difficulties between religion. Here we will show that Muslim countries can work together with non-Muslim countries. We came from a Colonial country – there's no problem with us – and can show how Muslim countries have no problem to work together with other people. 427 While in London the Royal Malay Regiment also participated in the Royal Windsor Castle Tattoo, Beating Retreat on Horse Guards and the Royal Hospital Pageant. These activities, however, remained largely unnoticed – but could go a long way towards reassuring Muslims about the nature of military service. These avenues, previously unexplored, must now be investigated to assess just who is best placed to convey the government’s message to those in the difficult areas it hopes to penetrate. 428 Table 7: Reasons given for why Muslim women should not join the armed forces % all respondents % Male % Female Clash with religion and culture 38 33 48 Masculine profession 28 25 31 Sexism and harassment 25 33 15 Racism and lack of equal opportunities 5 6 3 Not patriotic about Britain 2 3 – Dislike of British foreign policy 2 – 3 Engaging Muslims directly with less reliance upon interlocutors has obvious benefits. Indeed, such an approach could even bring Muslims into contact with groups they previously considered closed off. Another remarkable revelation in the academic study into Muslim attitudes towards the armed forces discovered that just under half of the women surveyed (48 percent) said they would consider
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Ties that Bind 3 See: http://www.cp
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Ties that Bind 17 Stolen Valour: Ho
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Ties that Bind 27 Omissi, The Sepoy
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Ties that Bind 41 Ibid. p.28 42 Ibi
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Ties that Bind 47 Geoffrey Bennet,
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Ties that Bind 58 Ibid. Also see, M
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Ties that Bind 64 Punjabi Musalman
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Ties that Bind 74 Omissi, Sepoy and
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Ties that Bind 84 The Comrade, 7 No
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Ties that Bind 90 Ibid, p.5 91 Ibid
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Ties that Bind 107 Ibid. 108 Supple
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Ties that Bind 128 Ibid. 129 Ibid.
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Ties that Bind 146 Ibid., p.90 147
Page 39 and 40: Ties that Bind 159 Punjabi Mahomeda
Page 41 and 42: Ties that Bind 166 Ibid., p.129 167
Page 43 and 44: Ties that Bind 181 CAB/24/54, Natio
Page 45 and 46: Ties that Bind 187 India’s contri
Page 47 and 48: Ties that Bind 191 Judith Brown, Mo
Page 49 and 50: Ties that Bind 200 Ibid. 201 Ibid.
Page 51 and 52: Ties that Bind 211 Ibid, p.55 212 I
Page 53 and 54: Ties that Bind 224 Omissi, Sepoy an
Page 55 and 56: Ties that Bind 238 Ibid, pp.70-72 2
Page 57 and 58: Ties that Bind 252 Ibid. 253 Ibid.
Page 59 and 60: Ties that Bind 265 CAB/66/58/25, Na
Page 61 and 62: 270 The Gallup Coexist Index 2009:
Page 63 and 64: Ties that Bind 278 Note that Al-Muh
Page 65 and 66: Ties that Bind 286 http://www.times
Page 67 and 68: Ties that Bind 299 Hans Wehr, A Dic
Page 69 and 70: Ties that Bind 308 http://www.dohad
Page 71 and 72: Ties that Bind 315 http://web.archi
Page 75 and 76: Ties that Bind 329 http://www.indep
Page 77 and 78: Ties that Bind 340 Keynote Address
Page 79 and 80: Ties that Bind 350 http://www.publi
Page 81 and 82: Ties that Bind 364 Humayun Ansari,
Page 85 and 86: Ties that Bind 390 Ibid, p. 49. 391
Page 87 and 88: Ties that Bind 406 Policy Exchange
Page 89: Ties that Bind 419 http://www.musli
Page 93 and 94: Ties that Bind 435 Ibid., p.606 436
Page 95 and 96: 439 London Gazette, 3 July 1945, ht
Page 97 and 98: 96 | policyexchange.org.uk Bibliogr
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