UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 08 APRIL 2019
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has visited a unique exhibition celebrating the contribution of Muslim soldiers to Allied forces during World War One.
Prince Charles attended the British Muslim Heritage Centre (BMHC) in Manchester and was shown the installation which was curated by Dr Islam Issa, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Birmingham City University.
Research conducted by Dr Issa revealed that at least 885,000 Muslim soldiers were recruited by the Allies, more than twice the figure that had previously been reported (400,000).
The exhibition, which was commissioned by the BMHC, is the first dedicated entirely to Muslim involvement in the Great War.
During his visit, the Prince of Wales was shown individual stories and images from the exhibition, including one photograph featuring his great-grandfather King George V, wearing a turban during a period as head of a Muslim cavalry regiment.
HRH said the exhibition and other work being carried out by the BMHC were “of huge importance”.
He said: “I've been so impressed by all the different initiatives and projects you run here and the difference you are making, in terms of all the work you are doing in the community, but also in terms of linking all the other communities together.
“It is obviously of huge importance, this dialogue and activity.
“If I may say so, I just wanted to congratulate you and to say how much I admire all the work you are doing. And how important your communities are here in this country.”
first opened at the BMHC and has been featured in locations around the country including Greater Manchester’s Police headquarters, Manchester Central Library and Blackburn Cathedral.
Dr Islam Issa said: “I'm delighted that the exhibition is still going strong even after the commemoration period when it had over 30,000 visitors.
“At one stage, the project manager of the exhibition, Ashraf Ali, asked HRH if he recognised the picture of King George V and the response was 'Of course I recognise him!'”.
The Prince of Wales is the latest in a string of high-profile names to visit the exhibition, including the Chief of the UK Army General Sir Nick Carter and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
During his research Dr Issa also discovered that Muslims involved in the war effort came from as far as Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia and that at least 89,000 Muslims were killed fighting for Allied forces under French or British command.
The roles included front-line soldiers, trench builders and those transporting vital goods and materials.
While carrying out the studies Dr Issa also found that at least 20 per cent of all British Empire recruits were followers of Islam and that the financial and material contribution from India alone was £479 million - £20 billion in today’s money.