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Ties <strong>that</strong> Bind<br />
426 http://web.archive.org/web/<br />
20090904051438/http://www.m<br />
od.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceN<br />
ews/HistoryAndHonour/FirstMusl<br />
imBattalionGuardsTheQueen.htm<br />
427 Ibid.<br />
428 For example, lessons might<br />
be learnt from Bradford Army<br />
Recruitment Information Office<br />
(ACIO) and Bradford City Council.<br />
Bradford ACIO offer those<br />
interested in an armed forces<br />
career both one day courses,<br />
known as ‘Personal Development<br />
Activi<strong>ties</strong>’, and longer, five day,<br />
residential courses. Furthermore,<br />
the ACIO and council have worked<br />
together on projects to bring local<br />
Muslims into contact with the<br />
armed forces and, significantly, a<br />
number of serving and ex-serving<br />
Muslim soldiers.<br />
90 | policyexchange.org.uk<br />
regarded him, and the British forces, as their allies. These are powerful stories for<br />
young Muslims to hear, far removed from the al-Qaeda worldview which paints<br />
a picture of universal Muslim disgust at western military intervention in Muslim<br />
countries. Al-Qaeda’s message is belied by the actual experience of Muslim<br />
soldiers serving in those conflicts. Indeed, some of those I met while compiling<br />
this report are not just remarkable soldiers, but also have an impressive command<br />
of the Arabic language and knowledge of Islamic sciences. Surely they are far<br />
better placed than FCO officials in addressing the concerns of mosque<br />
congregations about the tensions between British foreign policy, being Muslim<br />
and serving their country?<br />
There are other ways to engage Muslims, too. In May 2008, 120 soldiers from<br />
the Royal Malay Regiment became the first all-Muslim Company to provide the<br />
ceremonial guard for a British monarch. 426 The red jackets and black bearskins of<br />
the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards gave way to the white tunics, and brocade<br />
‘sampins’ (sarongs) of the Royal Malay Regiment, after they arrived in London on<br />
an official visit to strengthen <strong>ties</strong> between Malaysia and the UK.<br />
Major Norhisham bin Kamar, of the Royal Malay Regiment, noted <strong>that</strong> it was a<br />
proud moment for them: ‘This is a very historical moment for us doing this job, and<br />
we will show the best to the audience here, as well as to the Queen’. He continued:<br />
Nowadays there is some difficul<strong>ties</strong> between religion. Here we will show <strong>that</strong> Muslim countries<br />
can work together with non-Muslim countries. We came from a Colonial country – there's no<br />
problem with us – and can show how Muslim countries have no problem to work together with<br />
other people. 427<br />
While in London the Royal Malay Regiment also participated in the Royal Windsor<br />
Castle Tattoo, Beating Retreat on Horse Guards and the Royal Hospital Pageant. These<br />
activi<strong>ties</strong>, however, remained largely unnoticed – but could go a long way towards<br />
reassuring Muslims about the nature of military service. These avenues, previously<br />
unexplored, must now be investigated to assess just who is best placed to convey<br />
the government’s message to those in the difficult areas it hopes to penetrate. 428<br />
Table 7: Reasons given for why Muslim women should not join<br />
the armed forces<br />
% all respondents % Male % Female<br />
Clash with religion and culture 38 33 48<br />
Masculine profession 28 25 31<br />
Sexism and harassment 25 33 15<br />
Racism and lack of equal opportuni<strong>ties</strong> 5 6 3<br />
Not patriotic about Britain 2 3 –<br />
Dislike of British foreign policy 2 – 3<br />
Engaging Muslims directly with less reliance upon interlocutors has obvious<br />
benefits. Indeed, such an approach could even bring Muslims into contact with<br />
groups they previously considered closed off. Another remarkable revelation in<br />
the academic study into Muslim attitudes towards the armed forces discovered<br />
<strong>that</strong> just under half of the women surveyed (48 percent) said they would consider