Muslims raising funds for the Royal British Legion have hit back at critics who have branded the poppy a ‘racist’ symbol – pointing out that thousands of Muslim soldiers have fought and died for this country.
And followers of Ahmadiyya, a branch of Islam favouring integration, say they have been abused for their efforts, branded ‘infidels’ by other Muslims and ‘traitors’ by Left-wing critics for selling poppies.
Last year, Ahmadiyya members – who are not recognised by mainstream Islam – raised more than £100,000 at stations and on high streets, and this year are aiming for a record £250,000 as they field more than 400 sellers.
But they are acutely aware of the negativity surrounding Remembrance Day as a chorus of Left-wing critics such as writer Robert Fisk denounce the poppy as ‘racist’.
Naveed Uz Zafar (right, with fellow Muslim poppy sellers) told The Mail on Sunday how he was harangued last week by an angry, white Left-winger in a crowded station who claimed that selling the poppy was a betrayal of Palestinians – until he was shouted down by passers-by
‘We have all heard the calls of “infidel” and the suggestion that poppies are somehow racist,’ said Dr Ijaz Rehman, a leader of the movement, which has 30,000 followers across the UK.
‘But it’s rubbish. Our motto is “Love for all, hatred for none”,’ said Dr Rehman, president of the Ahmadiyya Elders’ Association, ‘and as we live in this country, are protected by this country, then we are loyal to this country, as many of our ancestors were.
‘We draw a distinction between the political arguments about where an army might be fighting and supporting the soldiers and their families, which is what the Royal British Legion does and we are proud to help with.’
Veteran foreign correspondent and author Mr Fisk claims that the poppy is synonymous with the First and Second World Wars yet ignores hundreds of thousands of civilians killed in more recent campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Muslims raising funds for the Royal British Legion have hit back at critics who have branded the poppy a ‘racist’ symbol – pointing out that thousands of Muslim soldiers have fought and died for this country
Muslim poppy seller Naveed Uz Zafar told The Mail on Sunday how he was harangued last week by an angry, white Left-winger in a crowded station who claimed that selling the poppy was a betrayal of Palestinians – until he was shouted down by passers-by.
Mr Uz Zafar, 53, whose uncle flew in the RAF, said: ‘Several of us were in Euston Station on Thursday and this man came up to loudly accuse us of betraying Muslims and Palestine.
‘But then other people came over and told him we were doing something for our country and asked him what was he doing and he wandered off.
‘Then, as we were going down the Tube escalators carrying all our poppy paraphernalia, a man on the up escalator saluted us and about seven other people on that side all joined in. It was very moving.’