LONDON: UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in the Budget on Wednesday that £1 million (Rs 10 crore) of government cash will be used to build a memorial to Muslims from India and elsewhere who fought for the British in the two world wars.
Britain’s first such memorial to Muslims will be built by World Wars Muslim Memorial Trust.
In the two world wars, more than 750,000 Muslims served in the Indian and Allied armies, of whom approximately 147,000 were killed. The plans are drawn up and planning permission has been obtained.
Opening his speech, Hunt said: “As we mourn the tragic loss of life in Israel and Gaza, the prime minister reminded us… of the need to fight extremism and heal divisions… I start today by remembering the Muslims who died in two world wars in the service of freedom and democracy. We need a memorial to honour them. I have decided to allocate £1 million towards the cost of building one.”
The memorial will be in the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and will take the shape of a minaret, an integral part of Islamic architecture. A lowwall will be inscribed with stories of Muslim soldiers who fought for the crown.
“Our project coincides with the widespread re-evaluation of colonial history and the role Muslims play in a dynamic and changing modern Britain,” said Sir William Blackburne, chair of the trust.
Trupti Patel, president of Hindu Forum of Britain, pointed out that there are already two national memorials to remember Indian soldiers in the UK — the Chattri Memorial near Brighton and the Commonwealth Memorial Gates in London.
“We value the sacrifice of all beings who fought in both world wars to keep democracy alive and a memorial should represent all faiths,” Patel said. “If there is a Muslim one, there should be a Hindu one, a Jain one, a Parsee one — where does it end? We don’t believe in dividing people on faith lines, rather in bringing people together.”
Plans for the first London-based national memorial to honour Sikhs who fought in both world wars were announced in 2018 but have not yet come to fruition. Sikh Federation UK claimed on X there have been no government funds for it, branding this as “discrimination”.
Britain’s first such memorial to Muslims will be built by World Wars Muslim Memorial Trust.
In the two world wars, more than 750,000 Muslims served in the Indian and Allied armies, of whom approximately 147,000 were killed. The plans are drawn up and planning permission has been obtained.
Opening his speech, Hunt said: “As we mourn the tragic loss of life in Israel and Gaza, the prime minister reminded us… of the need to fight extremism and heal divisions… I start today by remembering the Muslims who died in two world wars in the service of freedom and democracy. We need a memorial to honour them. I have decided to allocate £1 million towards the cost of building one.”
The memorial will be in the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and will take the shape of a minaret, an integral part of Islamic architecture. A lowwall will be inscribed with stories of Muslim soldiers who fought for the crown.
“Our project coincides with the widespread re-evaluation of colonial history and the role Muslims play in a dynamic and changing modern Britain,” said Sir William Blackburne, chair of the trust.
Trupti Patel, president of Hindu Forum of Britain, pointed out that there are already two national memorials to remember Indian soldiers in the UK — the Chattri Memorial near Brighton and the Commonwealth Memorial Gates in London.
“We value the sacrifice of all beings who fought in both world wars to keep democracy alive and a memorial should represent all faiths,” Patel said. “If there is a Muslim one, there should be a Hindu one, a Jain one, a Parsee one — where does it end? We don’t believe in dividing people on faith lines, rather in bringing people together.”
Plans for the first London-based national memorial to honour Sikhs who fought in both world wars were announced in 2018 but have not yet come to fruition. Sikh Federation UK claimed on X there have been no government funds for it, branding this as “discrimination”.