UK Chancellor announces £1 million towards memorial for Muslim soldiers
UK Chancellor announces £1 million towards memorial for Muslim soldiers
Jeremy Hunt has announced that £1 million will be given towards building a memorial to honour the Muslims who died in the First and Second World Wars.
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Jeremy Hunt announced £1 million will be given towards a memorial for the Muslims who died during World War I and II [GETTY}
UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced on Wednesday that £1 million will be given towards a memorial for the Muslims who died during World War I and II "in the service of freedom and democracy".
Hunt made the announcement as part of his Spring Budget speech, vowing that past sacrifices, no matter their faith, colour, or class, would not be forgotten.
Last month, MP Sajid Javid inquired about the government's support for a proposal to establish a memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum. The memorial would honour the estimated 750,000 Muslims who fought for the British armed forces.
"As we mourn the tragic loss of life in Israel and Gaza, the Prime Minister reminded us last week of the need to fight extremism and heal divisions," Hunt told the Commons.
"So, 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, so following representations from the Right Honourable Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid) and others, I've decided to allocate £1 million towards building one."
"Whatever your faith or colour or class, this country will never forget the sacrifices made for our future."
Pro-Palestinian protest organisers have expressed alarm after UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said planning protests for Armistice Day, when people mourn those killed in World War One next weekend, was 'provocative and disrespectful' 👇https://t.co/UbD67f2WHK
— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) November 4, 2023
At least 2.5 million Muslim soldiers and labourers fought alongside the Allied forces during the First World War.
The British Indian Army included over 1.3 million soldiers, of whom at least 400,000 were Muslims.
During World War II, of the 2.5 million soldiers in the British Indian Army, approximately 1 million were Muslims.
Muslims, mainly from India and African countries colonised by Britain, played a decisive role in Britain's first major land victory against Nazi Germany in North Africa.
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