PRAXIS SOUTH
3 0 TH O C T O B E R 2 0 1 3
SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL
THE EMPIRE CONTEXT
Empire contingents sent to serve overseas:
From Canada:
418,035
From Australian and
Tasmania:
330,000
From New Zealand:
100,471
From South Africa:
74,196
From Newfoundland:
10,610
From West Indies:
16,000
From the Indian Army
and other 'coloured
troops':
1,524,187
THE EMPIRE CONTEXT
By the end of WW1 some
1.3 million Indians had
fought for Britain,
eventually manning around
a third of the British line.
MUSLIM COMMUNITY
Khudadad Khan
MUSLIM COMMUNITY
30-40% of Indian Sepoys were
Muslims. More than 47,000 died
and 65,000 were wounded
Muslim soldiers who died were
buried in the Muslim Burial
Ground at Woking’s Shah Jahan
Mosque, constructed in 1889 as
Britain’s first purpose-built
mosque.
AND ON THE OTHER SIDE…
WHAT ABOUT TURKISH MUSLIMS?
THE EMPIRE AND THE UMMAH
Remembrance Day should not only remind us of the
last days of the Khilafah but also the beginning of the
tyrannical rulers and dictators that have subjugated
and oppressed the Ummah for the past 87 years.
We see this subjugation and oppression continue
today not only with the invasion of Iraq and the
occupation of Palestine but also in the slavishness of
our rulers who are more interested in serving the
western colonial powers than the Ummah. This day
should be a catalyst to increase our activities in
resuming the Islamic way of life by re-establishing
the Khilafah Rashidah in the Muslim lands according
to the method of the Prophet (saw).
THE CHATTRI MEMORIAL
The Chattri is a monument
located in the South Downs
near Patcham dedicated to the
Indian Soldiers who died in the
First World War
The monument is on the Downs
above Patcham marks the site
of the cremation place for Hindu
and Sikh soldiers who died of
their wounds at the Royal
Pavilion Hospital during World
War One.
SIKH COMMUNITY
SIKH COMMUNITY
At the beginning of the war, Sikh military personnel
numbered around 35,000 men of the 161,000 troops of
the Indian Army, around 22% of the armed forces, yet the
Sikhs only made up less than 2% of the total Indian
population.
By the end of the war 100,000 Sikh volunteers joined the
British Armed forces. The average Indian battalion had
around 764 men when they landed in France, but by
November 1914, the 47th Sikhs had only 385 men left. In
Gallipoli, the 14th Sikhs lost 371 officers and men in mere
minutes, and thousands of other Sikhs died in various
other encounters such as Neuve Chappelle and the
Somme.
HINDU COMMUNITY
HINDU COMMUNITY
When war broke out in 1914 India was in a state of growing political
unrest. The Indian National Congress had gone from being a group
that simply discussed issues to a body that was pushing for more selfgovernment.
But when war was declared on August 4th, India rallied to the cause.
Those with influence within India believed that the cause of Indian
independence would best be served by helping out Britain in whatever
capacity India could – including the Indian National Congress.
Nepal offered help and in total sent 100,000 Gurkhas and the Dalai
Lama in Tibet offered 1000 of his troops to the cause.
Indian troops were on the Western front by the winter of 1914 and
fought at the first Battle of Ypres. By the end of 1915, they had
sustained many casualties. Along with the casualties from sickness,
the decision was taken to withdraw the Indian Corps from front line
duty at the end of 1915.
JEWISH COMMUNITY
The number of enlisted Jews in the First World War was estimated at
around 50,000
Five Jewish soldiers won the Victoria Cross. Fifty Jewish soldiers
received the Distinguished Service Order.
In addition, Jews formed their own unit, the Zion Mule Corps, fighting
at Gallipoli and the Dardanelles in 1915.
The Royal Fusiliers formed three Jewish battalions in Jan. 1918. The
38th Bn was composed of Jewish immigrants from Russia. The 39th
was composed of US and Canadian volunteers. The 40th was
actually formed in Palestine when the battalions arrived there in
June. Many of the 40th Bn had served in the Ottoman Jewish police,
and therefore the 40th. Collectively the three battalions were known
as the "Jewish Legion". The badge of all three battalions was a
menorah on a scroll inscribed in Hebrew "Kadima" (Forward).
JEWISH COMMUNITY – ON BOTH SIDES
Every November, Jewish
cemeteries in Berlin and Munich
host services to remember
Jewish soldiers who were killed
in World War One. Nearly
100,000 German Jews fought in
the First World War, and some
12,000 of them lost their lives in
combat. During World War One,
Jews comprised only 1 percent
of the German population but 20
percent of them joined the armed
forces to fight for their country, a
higher percentage than any other
ethnic group.
EVENTS WITH OTHER FAITHS
• Be open to attend such events
• Aim to build prior relationships
• There is no such thing as multi faith
worship
• Take advice from those with experience
• Check and agree venues, participants,
texts, roles beforehand
DIOCESE OF SOUTHWARK
Guidelines on
civic services / events involving people of different faiths
These guidelines are designed specifically to address the Church of England’s
role in relation to civic services and events involving people of different
religions. Guidelines on the wider questions of ‘Multi-Faith Worship’ were
issued by the House of Bishops in 1993, following the 1992 Board of Mission
report on that subject. That report included an extended discussion of the
theological and practical issues involved
Contents
A
Planning a civic service or event
B
Multi-faith civic events in secular venues
C
Christian worship involving people of other religions
D
Services or events held in Church of England churches
E
Invitations to services or events held in Church of England
churches
F
Other Church of England services involving people of different
religions
WHERE?
IN THE PREMISES OF ANOTHER FAITH
• Take advice
• Which tradition within another faith?
• What role is being proposed?
• Will Christian identity be maintained?
• What is/is not acceptable?
• Bow before the Guru Granth Sahib
• Join in Muslim prayer
• Accept the prasadam
WHERE?
IN A SECULAR CONTEXT
• Generally good to take part – Cof E as the
Convenor
• Integrity of Christian faith maintained
• Prayers led by Christians are in the name of
Jesus
• No syncretistic texts or affirmations
• Ecumenical Christian representation
WHERE?
IN A CHURCH
• Subject to ecclesiastical law
• “neither contrary to, nor indicative of any
departure from, the doctrine of the Church of
England” [canon B5]
• Other faiths do not lead prayer or preach
• Use of other scriptures are carefully
considered
• Faiths and New Religious Movements
• Let people of other faiths know beforehand