March

2012


Editors:
Shahid Aziz
Mustaq Ali

Contents: Page
Announcements and News 1
The Promised Messiah speaks 3
Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ali 4
Efforts at keeping the jamaat united
Proving Loyalty 5
Sunni Muslims prove they were
loyal to the British during the Raj

..

Announcements and News
Friday Prayers 12:30
Dars/speech 12:45

Sunday 04-03-2012 15:00

Webcasts: Please note that the Friday
khutba and prayers, the dars, as well as all meet-
ings are broadcast over the Virtual Mosque
(www.virtualmosque.co.uk) at the time stated
above.

Maulana M. Kemal Hydal

informs us that Bro Hanif Mohammad (Breds), a
Senior Executive member of the Trinidad
Ahmadiyya Anjuman and their former Treasurer
returned to his Maker on Friday, January 13,
2012 while preparing for Jumuah prayer.
Qadiani Khalifa sahib picks out two La-
horis for special treatment
From http://thecult.info/blog/2011/05/07/
jamaat-thoughts/comment-page-1/#comment-
24947; an anti-Qadiani web-site:-
Fair Mind on May 9, 2011 at 8:47 am said:
@Findings,
Dear sister,As far as I remember, Qadiani
Khalifa 4 Mirza Tahir Ahmad prohibited his
Qadiani Cult followers from discussion with
Shahid Aziz and Dr. Zahid Aziz (both brothers
are Lahori-Ahmadis) way back in year 2000.It
is very much possible Qadiani Khalifa 4 may
have stopped his cult followers from discussion
with other Muslims too. And perhaps Qadiani
Khalifa 5 Mirza Masroor Ahmad also stopped
his cult followers from discussions with non-
Qadianis in 2004.
Note: This brings to mind an incident when
Mirza Tahir Ahmad had first arrived in the UK.
Shortly thereafter the Qadiani jamaat published
the complete set of the Promised Messiahs
books under the title Rohani Khazain. The per-
son I spoke to when placing the order ex-
plained that the postage will be prohibitive and
instead he will find people living in Slough to
bring me the books. I guess an underlying idea
was to see who was buying these books and
convert him.
The person who delivered the books spoke
to me very nicely greatly praising my independ-
ence of mind and spirit of searching for the
truth by reading the Promised Messiahs books
myself rather than rely on hearsay. You will
find he announced proudly that Hazrat Mirza
sahib did not claim to be a prophet, as people
claim and he did not call anyone a kafir. I im-
mediately noticed the words as people claim,
which meant that later I would be told that the
prophethood claimed was different from the
one that people say he claimed and not that he
did not claim prophethood.
However, I left that to one side and said :
What about you? On being told that he re-
garded everyone who recites the Kalima as a
Muslim I asked him if he was a Lahori and not a
Qadiani. The man visibly recoiled with horror
and said : No, that was an unfortunate attempt
March

2012
2
March
2012
by a man who lost his way and wanted to grab
khilafat - referring to Hazrat Maulana Muham-
mad Ali of blessed memory. I excused myself
and got the book The Truth About the Split by
Mian Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad sahib. I
referred him to the page where he says that all
those who have not entered into the baiat of the
Promised Messiah are veritable kafirs and out of
the fold of Islam and asked his opinion. This is
wrong he said and asked me the name of the
person who wrote these words. I told him that it
was the first Qadiani
khalifa. He refused to
believe me, even with
the book in front of
him, so I told him to
go and talk to the
current khalifa sahib
and gave him a copy of the relevant page.
The following week he returned smiling and
said : You got me confused but when I asked
Hazoor (the Qadiani khalifa) he clarified every-
thing. I told him that I would be glad to hear
that explanation because whereas I am a hum-
ble person khalifa sahib is a great scholar but
more than that he is in direct communication
with Allah. The explanation was that kufr is an
Arabic word and it means to deny so it just
means that these people deny the Promised
Messiahs claims and not that they are not Mus-
lims.
I looked at him with sympathy and asked
him whether he actually believed this explana-
tion as it leads to even greater difficulties! I
cant see any, said he. The text says those who
have not even heard his name, now tell me how
can a man who has not even heard the name of
the Promised Messiah deny him? I saw a puz-
zled look on his face. It also says : out of fold of
Islam, now ask khalifa sahib how someone can
be a Muslim and out of fold of Islam?, said I.
That is another problem, he said. I then flicked
a few pages further in the book I had referred to
earlier. I showed him that when Mian Mahmud
Ahmad sahib first said non-Ahmadi recitors of
the Kalima were kafirs, Hazrat Khwaja Kamal-ud
-Din wrote a pamphlet in which he tried to ex-
plain away the use of the word kufr by Mian sa-
hib in the same way as Mirza Tahir Ahmad sahib
has done. But in the pages I showed him Mian
Mahmud sahib himself says that this explana-
tion by Hazrat Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din that he had
used the word kufr in its literal sense is wrong
and that what he means that non-Ahmadis are
heretics. So the explanation by Mirza Tahir
Ahmad sahib must be wrong as well as it is the
same explanation. The author himself has al-
ready rejected Mirza Tahir Ahmad sahibs expla-
nation, I said. And he left promising to get back
to me with a further explanation but I heard
nothing more for months.
So, one day I rang him
and asked him if I had
upset him because he has
stopped coming to see me
to guide me on the right
path. You got me into
trouble and nearly got me expelled , he told me.
When I asked khalifa sahib what you said he
become angry and said now I know why Allah
made me a khalifa, to answer that boys ques-
tions as if I have nothing else to do, go and find
out for yourself and any way why do you go and
see people who put doubts in your mind?
I told him that I was a Lahori Ahmadi and
asked him whether, in the light of what had hap-
pened he was prepared to join us. No, I just
wont talk to you anymore because you confuse
me, he replied.
Our Literary Efforts
English literature : The Promised Messiah
wrote a book in Urdu called government angrai-
zi aur jihad. This has been translated into Eng-
lish by Choudhry Masud Akhtar of the California
jamaat under the title British Government and
Jihad. We had made special efforts to insert the
verses of the Holy Quran in the original Arabic
into the English text which caused many prob-
lems which took time to resolve. We also had a
cover professionally designed. We missed the
target we had set ourselves for printing the
book but it does mean that it is printed in the
best manner. The California jamaat is making
separate arrangements for it to be printed in the
US.
French literature : The French translation
of the English book An Introduction to Islam has
Production of Lahore-Ahmadiyya
literature in French has started.
The project needs your
contributions.
March
2012
3
messengers and life after death. There is no God
but Allah and He has no associate. And I bear wit-
ness that Muhammad is His servant and His mes-
senger.
Moreover, if, even now, after reading this book
you are in doubt then come and try and see with
whom is God. O my opposing religious leaders,
Sufis and sajada nasheens, who call me a heretic
and a liar, I have been assured that, individually or
collectively, if you compete with me in the heavenly
signs which accompany the friends of the Benefi-
cent, God shall humiliate you and expose you. And,
at that time, you shall see that He is with me. Is
there any among you to come to the field for this
trial and by a general announcement in the papers
compare the relationship of acceptance, which my
Lord has with me to Gods relationship with him?
Remember God is the helper of the truthful. He
shall help him whom He considers is truthful. De-
sist from cunning for He is near. Will you fight
Him? Can one become elevated by arrogant
boasts? Will you with sharp tongues cut the truth?
Fear Him whose anger is greater than all anger.
Note:
The above is a short extract from the book
Izala Auham by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad sahib
which is being translated into English and will be-
come available in 2013 C.E.
been completed. We are fortunate to have found a
translator who is fast, accurate and communicates
the sense of the work he is translating into French
as well as the words. He made a number of
changes to the text without altering its sense to
make the book more relevant to the French read-
ing public. It was proof-read in France and then
checked again by two people in the UK. May Allah
bless every one involved in this project.
By the time you read this the translator would
have completed translating a second book. Having
ironed out difficulties which delayed printing of
the first book, this will be printed speedily.
Please make this project a success by your
prayers and your financial contributions. It is
costing the jamaat thousands of pounds.
The Promised Messiah Speaks
A Request by the Promised Messiah
O elders, O religious leaders, O elected ones of
the people, may Allah open your eyes. Do not ex-
ceed the limits in anger. Read carefully both parts
of this book
1
. There is light and guidance in them.
Be afraid of Allah. Hold your tongues from heresy.
The Almighty Lord knows that I am a Muslim.
I believe in Allah, the angels, the books, the
Muir Woods Redwoods National Park, California, USA 2011
What took nature 1938 years to create was destroyed by man in one day.
4
March
2012
Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ali
His efforts for unity of the Ahmadiyya
Movement
Compiled by Shahid Aziz
(Note: Some Urdu extracts were translated by Dr
Zahid Aziz)
The Qadiani jamaat has always accused Haz-
rat Maulana Muhammad Ali of splitting the
Ahmadiyya jamaat because he wanted to be-
come the leader of the Movement. Here we look
at the historical evidence to determine what the
truth is.
Mian Mahmud Ahmad, the founder of the
Qadiani jamaat, had started to split the jamaat
during the life time of Hazrat Maulana Nur-ud-
Din with a view to establishing a religious dicta-
torship. Just before Hazrat Maulana Nur-ud-
Dins death Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ali pub-
lished this plea: I beg you,
time has not slipped out of
our hands. Do not waste the
strength brought by unity.
Leave aside matters of dis-
agreement and come to unity.
Do not lean towards this
world, give preference to your
religion.... (An appeal by Maulana Muhammad
Ali published in Review of Relgions 1 Dec 1913)
After Hazrat Maulana Nur-ud-Dins death he
proposed: The same day after Asr, the five of us
who were present went to Nawab sahibs house
(Mian Mahmuds father-in-law) so that we may
discuss the future of the Movement. Before we
had arrived Mian sahib had gone for a walk to-
wards the area Khara. I said to my companions
that it may be better if I speak to him alone.
Thus I went after him. I said that at this time
because of the issue of kufr and Islam the jamaat
has divided into two parties publicly We
should think of some way to preserve unity.
Mian sahib replied to what I said by saying that
a khalifa should be elected and both parties
should take a pledge on his hand and do as he
says. That is the only way to preserve unity. I
replied that this is the problem, both parties
cannot take the pledge on one mans hand. Be-
cause, at least I can not accept a person as my
spiritual leader who declares Muslims to be
kafirs. Similarly how can the other party take a
pledge on the hand of a person who, in their
opinion, is in error on such an important mat-
ter?... I said this difficulty may solved in two
ways. One, let us elect some one but not make
the pledge mandatory, a person who wants to
make take the pledge and who does not, need
not. Let some time pass and then both parties
should put forward their arguments in this mat-
ter of kufr and Islam. It may be that when the
jamaat sees the weight of argument the whole of
it inclines to one view. Mian sahib replied that a
person who does not take the pledge of the
khalifa cannot remain in the jamaat. I presented
my other proposal. A fortnights leave should be
given and the learned people of the jamaat gath-
ered to give their opinion about how to get out
of this difficulty. Mian sahib said that we could
not wait that long. The following
day the five of us went to Nawab
sahibs house again and tried to
speak but to no avail.... Nawab sa-
hib read the will (of Hazrat Mau-
lana Nur-ud-Din) and Maulana
Muhmmad Ahsan sahib proposed
Mian sahibs name for khilafat. I
stood up to speak and tell people of the conver-
sations between Mian sahib and me but some
people leapt up and started screaming that they
did not want to hear anything.... Mian sahib sat
there and could not move his lips even to say let
him have his say. (Haqiqat-i-Ikhtalaf)

Treatment of Maulana Muhammad Ali
at the meeting where Mian Mahmud
was elected:
a) Statement of Mirza Sultan Ahmad, brother
of Mian Mahmud:
The way my brother (Mian Mahmud) ill-treated
the old friends of his father, I have come to seek
pardon for that. After seeing the humiliation
meted out to you in the mosques I was buried in
the ground with shame.
b) An article headed A Sad Event published
in Nur from Qadian dated 17 March 1904 com-
menting on how Maulana Muhammad Ali was
Do not waste the
strength brought by
unity - Hazrat Mau-
lana Muhammad Ali (r)
March
2012
5
treated at the election of Mian Mahmud:
... Lo, today a child who has not the manners
to speak even he does not hesitate in speaking ill
of others....
Maulana Muhammad Ali remained in Qadian
until every time he went out people stoned him.
However, because of constant physical and ver-
bal attacks he sent his family out. Then one
night someone hidden under a cloak knocked on
his door and told him that there were plans to
kill two people that night in the early hours, one
was Maulana Muhammad Ali and the other Mau-
lana Sadr-ud-Din. The two left Qadian and the
only thing they took with them were the notes of
the English translation of the Holy Quran.
Another proposal
On 22 March 1914, the proposal was sent to
Mian Mahmud from Lahore.
In accordance with the Will (of HMGA) the
decisions of the Sadr Anjuman are considered
binding and no one has the right to reject them.
Those who are already Ahmadis should not
be required to take the pledge on the hand of the
elder considered as the amir of the Ahmadi ja-
maat.
Because more than 40 people have entered
the pledge of Mian Mahmud, he has the right to
take the pledge from those wishing to enter the
jamaat.
If Mian Mahmud declares the decisions of
the Anjuman to be binding and does not require
those who are already Ahmadis to take a pledge
on his hand again, he should be considered the
president and the amir of the jamaat.
These were sent to Mian Mahmud. A delega-
tion of 15 people then went to Qadian to speak
to Mian Mahmud on 28
th
March 1914. Mian
Mahmud refused to speak to this delegation.
On 10
th
April Maulana Muhammad Ali and
others again went to Qadian to take part in the
meeting of the Sadr Anjuman. They found mat-
ters which were not on the agenda being ap-
proved and when they expressed the desire to
have their dissenting opinions noted, this was
refused.
On 12
th
April 1914, Mian Mahmud proposed
to abrogate the Will of his father by changing
Rule 18. HMGA had the rule devised to say that
In every matter the command of the Promised
shall be absolute and binding on the Maut-
madeen. Sadr Anjuman and all its branches.
Mian Mahmud changed it to say that Mian Mah-
muds command will be final and binding. This
was done on 26
th
April. Around the same time
Mian Mahmud announced that contributions
from the members should not go to the Anjuman
but should be sent to him personally. Thus de-
stroying the Movement set up by the Promised
Messiah.
Upon this, on 3
rd
May 1914, it was proposed
to set up Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam at
Lahore while still remaining members of Sadr
Anjuman at Qadian. On 12
th
May 1916 a resolu-
tion was placed before the Sadr Anjuman to ex-
pel Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ali and five oth-
ers from the Ahmadiyya jamaat. This resolution
(number 213) was communicated to the five
members on 22 June 1916. The six put in a writ-
ten defence, which was ignored.
Of the 14 members of the Sadr Anjuman ap-
pointed by HMGA, seven supported Maulana
Muhammad Ali. Six supported Mian Mahmud.
Three of these six were his maternal uncle, his
father in law and his brother in law.
Proving Loyalty?
(Editors note: An article from the above booklet
produced by the Muslim Council For Britain
commemorating the Muslim contribution to the
British armed forces. While maligning us for de-
claring that an armed struggle against the Brit-
ish was not a religious jihad our opponents ac-
knowledge that they were themselves laying
down their lives for the Britsh.)
Muslims and Britains Armed Forces
By Professor Humayun Ansari OBE
Director, Centre for Minority Studies, Royal
Holloway, University of London
The British Armys recent operations in
countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan raise im-
portant questions about the role of British Mus-
lim service personnel in it.
Recent well-publicised threats to behead
one of their number as a protest against their
6
March
2012
having enlisted have highlighted, for instance,
the need for British Muslim soldiers to feel con-
fident that their religion is not being compro-
mised by them being part of the British Army.
Conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq raise complex
questions of national identity and loyalty; taking
part in such campaigns can be quite challenging.
But, it is also increasingly clear that people
have multiple identities and that at any given
time one identity, and indeed one loyalty, may
take priority over another. Thus, the commit-
ment to fight for ones country becomes above
all else understandable.
This has certainly been the case historically.
We discover that in the armies of the British Em-
pire, particularly in India, over a period of per-
haps 200 years, there were literally tens of thou-
sands of Muslims who fought on the side of the
British. From the early Nineteenth Century at
least, with British involvement in South Asia
steadily growing, Muslim soldiers started to rep-
resent an important element in the ranks of
those Indians who joined the various regiments
of the British India Army, fighting on behalf of,
first, Company and, later,
Crown. The Punjabi and
Pa t ha n Mus s a l mans
(Muslims) came to be recog-
nised as the backbone of the
British Indian Army; they
made up about a third of that
army.
With the consolidation of
Britains empire, Muslim recruits continued to
provide essential manpower, fighting in Twenti-
eth-Century wars on Britains behalf. Indeed,
between 1914 and 1918 the British Army was
able to retain the loyalty and commitment of
these earlier Muslim soldiers without any seri-
ous difficulty. It seems that it succeeded in doing
so, at least partly, by incorporating elements of
their religion into the rituals and ceremonies of
the regiments concerned.
There is ample evidence to suggest that
thousands of Muslims loyally fought and died on
Britains behalf, but their sacrifice has been
rarely acknowledged. Only now is the heroic
story of how Muslims from Britains far-flung
empire held the line during the First World War
beginning to emerge out of their letters written
in the trenches of the Western Front in France.
We now know that at the start of the First
World War, within the first months, the British
forces took a pounding; reinforcements were
desperately needed. Two divisions of the Indian
Army were mobilized and Indian soldiers de-
ployed on the Western Front. Though they
played a crucial part in holding the line, display-
ing great determination, Indian soldiers re-
ceived scant attention in accounts of the War.
Why they fought so bravely was because
they simply wanted to win honour on the battle-
fields. Honour izzat was very important to
Muslims; it was deeply embedded in these sol-
diers psyche; one wrote, you did things which
were right in your point of view even if it meant
death; the British tradition of absolute loyalty to
the regiment dovetailed with the value of izzat;
loyalty to the regiment was paramount. And
these Muslims were convinced that only in the
army any izzat could be acquired (Mahamod
Mazafar Khan, 19th Lancers France, Oct 1917).
For izzat, if necessary, they were prepared to lay
down their lives. To be sure,
they were also motivated to
join the army to satisfy their
basic needs many came
from poor families. This gave
rise to a relationship with the
British often referred to as
tasting the salt the salt of
Britain. So, when wars broke
out, it was time for them to repay; for Jemadar
Shamsher Ali Khan (34th Poona Horse) in April
1917 in France it is time for showing valour;
this value of loyalty was greatly appreciated by
the British officers who led them indeed, those
who led the Indian regiments immersed them-
selves in the cultures of India and every effort
was made to facilitate Muslim troops in the ful-
fillment of the requirements of their faith for
example, which direction to pray in and bury
the dead (Dafadar Fazi Khan, 19th Lancers
France, Oct 1916). British officers were careful
to observe arrangements for key religious ritu-
als like Ramadan (or Ramazan) Havildar Ghu-
These men died fighting
defending British rights
and liberties and the
nations most cherished
values.
March
2012
7
fran Khan of the 129th Baluchis, wrote to Subedar
Zaman Khan (4 August 1915), arrangements to
keep Ramazan are excellent; In August 1917, Abdul
Ali Khan (6th Cavalry in France) informs how Eid
was celebrated on the battlefield all the Muslims
of their divisions have their prayer together; about
1,500 hundred men assembled and offered their
prayers for the King.
There developed a tremendous bond, attach-
ment, between officers and their men, further rein-
forcing loyalty. The real test of Muslim loyalty to
Britain came when, in November 1915, the major-
ity of the Indian Army was withdrawn from France
to fight in Mesopotamia - Germanys Turkish ally,
the Ottoman Khalifa (Caliph), presented fundamen-
tal dilemmas Muslims troops arriving there had
to face Turkish Muslims in combat. What must have
caused them deep anguish was the fact that a year
earlier, on 14 November, 1914, the Sheikh-ul-Islam
in Istanbul had declared Jihad on behalf of the Otto-
man government, urging Muslims all over the
world including in the Allied countries to take
up arms against Britain, Russia and France when
the 15th Lancers reached Basra they were ordered
to fight [against the] Turks[. T]hey, however, de-
clined to take up arms against their brother Mus-
lims and
asked to
be sent
to some
other theatre of war; orders to fight near holy sites
of Karbala and Baghdad were too much for the
Muslim members of the 15th Lancers, almost the
entire regiment refused to march (Fateh Ullah,
June 1916).
However, even at such challenging times many
Muslim soldiers in the British India Army did take
part in those battles. British Muslims supported the
war effort in quite rational terms: a resolution, pro-
posed by a leading Muslim convert Lord Headley,
seconded by the imam of the Woking Mosque,
Maulvi Sadr-ud-Din and unanimously passed by the
British Muslim Society in September 1914, ex-
pressed delight to find that their co-religionists in
Islam were carrying into effect the principles of
Islam as inculcated by the holy Prophet Mohammed
freely pouring out their life blood in defence of
honour and for the love of truth and justice.
While largely forgotten until now, at the
time, Muslim sacrifices were acknowledged
with gratitude. Wounded Muslim soldiers fight-
ing in France were treated in special hospitals
along the south coast in Brighton, Bournemouth
and Brockenhurst. Those among them who died
received burial rites according to their religion.
The first burial in this country of an Indian Mus-
lim soldier who succumbed to wounds received
while serving in France took place in the Brook-
wood Cemetery in December 1914.
Floral tributes were placed on the coffin by
local Muslim converts. In 1915 the burial of an
Indian Muslim officer took place. At the request
of the imam of the Woking Mosque, the local
commanding officer detailed fifty soldiers,
headed by an officer, to attend the funeral in
order to pay military honours to this gallant In-
dian soldier. Three rounds were discharged and,
in a fusion of Muslim practices with British mili-
tary traditions, the Last Post was sounded by
the bugle boys. The Chairman of the local Urban
Council deemed it an honour to have men who
fell as a result of the war buried in the district.
The scale of the sacrifice By the end of the
First World War in 1918, India had sent over
one mil-
lion volun-
t e e r
troops to
fight side by side with the British. Muslims were
disproportionately involved. They saw action in
France and Belgium; in Gallipoli and Salonica; in
East Africa; in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Persia.
Over 47,000 were killed and 65,000 were
wounded.
During the Second World War over 2.5 mil-
lion men and women from the Indian sub-
continent, formed the largest volunteer force
ever seen in history. They served in Africa,
Burma, Malaya and in the Middle East. Again,
over 24,000 were killed and 65,000 were
wounded. As in the First World War, hundreds
of military awards were won. These included
thirty Victoria Crosses, the highest award for
bravery.
As Remembrance Day approaches our
thoughts turn to observance of commemoration of
While largely forgotten until now, at the time, [Sunni] Muslim sacrifices
were acknowledged with gratitude.
8
March
2012
all those members of the British armed forces
who lost their lives during the wars. Special ser-
vices will be held and wreaths laid at war memo-
rials throughout the country and at Londons
Cenotaph. But how many of us will be aware of
the magnificent role that thousands of Muslims
played in those wars? How widely, for instance,
is it known that more than 1.3 million Indian sol-
diers served during the First World War, a large
proportion of them, Muslim? That they suffered
heavy casualties 53, 486 died, 64,350 wounded
and 3,769 were missing or taken?
The contribution of the In-
dian army to the Second World
War was even greater. By 1945,
2.5 million men had fought in
the war. Again, a substantial
number were Muslim. The price
paid was heavy 36, 092 volunteers were killed
or reported missing, 64,354 were wounded, and
almost 80,000 had to endure captivity as PoWs.
Moreover, Muslims employed in the British
merchant navy, over 50,000 by the beginning of
World War I, also took a heavy toll. During the
First World War 3,427 Indian crew members in
British merchant ships were killed and 1,200
were taken prisoners. In World War II 6,600
killed and 1,022 wounded, plus 1,217 PoWs.
At Tower Hill, half a mile from Aldgate, the
heart of the Bangladeshi community in Britain,
there is a poignant monument to the men of the
British merchant Navy who lost their lives in the
two World wars. Among the names of the 26,833
merchant seamen killed in the 1939-1945 war,
there are names of Muslims: Miah, Latif Ali, Ud-
din.
Just a few of the 6,600 lascars and 1,022
wounded working in the most dangerous part of
the ship. Their sacrifice for King and Country is
recorded and honoured in bronze. These men
died fighting defending British rights and liberties
and the nations most cherished values. Their ulti-
mate contribution reflected the commitment and
unity of heroic proportions and deserves to be hon-
oured in a fitting manner.
And one particular Muslim womans contribu-
tion symbolises this heroism more than anything
else. Noor Inayat Khan (1914-1944) daughter of
Inayat Khan, a sufi musician from Bhopal in India -
joined in the Womens Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)
in November 1940. Later she was recruited by the
Special Operations Executive during World War II.
She was dropped in occupied
France in 1943 to gather military
intelligence. Betrayed to the Ger-
mans she was arrested in October
1943 and transferred to the Da-
chau concentration camp. There
she was tortured, but showing immense courage
refused to divulge the secret codes. Having at-
tempted escape twice, she was declared highly dan-
gerous and shackled in chains. In 1944 she was
transferred to Dachau Concentration Camp and exe-
cuted. She was one of the few people to be awarded
the George Cross as well as Croix de Guerre with
Gold Star, the highest British and French awards for
noncombat gallantry.
Sources
Caroline Adams, Across Seven Seas and Thirteen Riv-
ers, London, 1987.
Humayun Ansari, The Infidel Within: Muslims in
Britain since 1800, London, 2004.
Humayun Ansari, Burying the dead: making Muslim
space in Britain, Historical Research, vol. 80, no. 210,
November 2007, pp.545-566.
Nile Green, Islam and the Army in Colonial India, Se-
poy Religion in the Service of Empire, Cambridge,
2009.
India Office Records, The British Library, London.
The Muslim Tommies, BBC 1, 2 September 2009.
Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam Lahore (UK)
The first Islamic Mission in the U.K. established 1913 as the Woking Muslim Mission
Dar- us-Salaam, 15 Stanley Avenue, Wembley, UK, HA0 4JQ
Centre: 020 8903 2689 President: 020 8529 0898 Secretary: 01753 575313 E-mail: aaiil.uk@gmail.com
Websites: www.virtualmosque.co.uk | www.aaiil.org/uk | www.ahmadiyya.org
Donations: www.virtualmosque.co.uk/donations
Non-Ahmadi Muslim
women fought for the
British.