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| Britain |
| Muslim soldier a British hero |
| 2006-07-04 |
| The first Muslim soldier in the British army to die on active duty in Afghanistan was hailed yesterday in his adopted country's press as a "hero" and "a true Brit". Lance Corporal Jabron Hashmi, 24, was shot dead with Corporal Peter Thorpe, 27, in a Taliban attack at the weekend, bringing to five the number of British troops killed in Helmand province since their deployment in April. Lance Corporal Hashmi, who was born only 40 minutes away from the Afghan border in Pakistan, became the first British Muslim soldier to be killed in action in modern times. His portrayal, in patriotic terms, came three days ahead of the first anniversary of the London bombings, in which four British Muslims killed themselves and 52 others in Britain's worst-ever terrorist attack. "British Muslim, British hero ... Asian immigrant died in Afghanistan, proudly serving the country he loved," read the front page headline in the Daily Mail, self-styled voice of the aspirational English middle class. "As a Pakistani-born British Muslim, Jabron Hashmi was proud to serve in his adopted country's army," the paper said, pointing out that there are "only 300 Muslims" in the British armed forces. Born in Peshawar, at the Pakistani end of the Khyber Pass to Afghanistan, Hashmi emigrated to Britain with his family at 12. He joined the army two years ago and served in the Intelligence Corps. UK's The Daily Telegraph said Hashmi "died fighting militants from his own faith", and quoted the Muslim Council of Britain - deemed to be the most representative Muslim group in the nation - paying tribute to him. The death of the soldier came as a new poll showed that a significant minority of British Muslims believe they are at war with the rest of society. The Populus survey for The Times and ITV News found more than one in 10 British Muslim think the men who carried out the London bombings of 7/7 should be regarded as martyrs. Sixteen per cent of British Muslims, equivalent to more than 150,000 adults, believe that while the attacks were wrong, the cause was right. But the poll also revealed a gulf between this group and the majority of British Muslims, who want the Government to take tougher measures against extremists in their community. More than half (56 per cent) believe the Government has failed to combat extremism, a higher proportion than the 49per cent of the general population who agree. Seventy-nine per cent said there were no circumstances that would justify suicide bombings against military targets in Britain, and 78 per cent said they would be angry to learn that a close family member had joined al-Qa'ida. Nearly half (49 per cent) of Britain's 1.6 million Muslims think it acceptable for the authorities to monitor what is being preached in mosques. Trevor Phillips, chairman of Britain's Commission for Racial Equality, said it was as if some Muslim groups were living in a different country. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |
| #1 Someone better put a guard on his grave, or they will desecrate his grave like they did that Spanish policeman. More scary was the quote "there are only 300 muslims in the British armed forces". Al |
| Posted by: Frozen Al 2006-07-04 19:18 |