To mark one hundred years since the end of World War One, the Armed Forces Muslim Association (AFMA) played a key role in the first National Muslim Service of Commemoration at the Woking Peace Garden.
Representatives from Muslim organisations and community leaders came together from across the country to show their respect to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service and defence of the nation, regardless of faith.
The service took place at the Woking Peace Garden, the original resting place for some Muslim soldiers killed during the First and Second World War.
It’s location in Woking is significant, only a short distance from the UK’s first purpose-built mosque.
In 1969, the bodies of the men buried in the Cemetery were exhumed and reinterred at the larger Brookwood Military Cemetery.
The site was recently renovated to its former glory and turned into an Islamic-inspired Peace Garden as a lasting legacy to all the Muslim servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice and to mark the centenary commemorations of the Great War.
Speaking at the event, Imam Hafiz OBE, the Islamic Religious Adviser to the Chief of the Defence Staff and founder of AFMA said, “The Muslim Community, as much as any other community, has a long and proud tradition of British military service. Hundreds of thousands of Muslim soldiers took part in the First World War.
"We celebrate this tradition one hundred years on by honouring the sacrifice of all the service men and women who gave their lives in defence of our nation.
"We remember the values and principles they gave their life for – justice, freedom and respect for others – values that people of all faiths believe in and that shape the ethos of today’s Armed Forces. Their sacrifice sowed the seeds for a peace and harmony that we must uphold and celebrate together in order to promote cohesion and respect.
As a tribute to all the Soldiers from the Indian subcontinent who served and continue to serve in the British Army, the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas along with a Piper from the Queens Own Gurkha Logistics Regiment took part in the event which was also supported by the Welsh Guards.
Other notable attendees included Major General Duncan Capps CBE, GOC Regional Command and current AFMA Champion, Terry Whittles the National Chairman of the Royal British Legion as well as Baroness Pola Uddin.
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