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Four Thought

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Series of thought-provoking talks on topics that affect culture and society.

Series of thought-provoking talks in which the speakers air their thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect culture and society

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Four Thought: The Muslim Soldier

Army Muslim

01/06/2016

The Muslim Soldier

BBC Radio 4 - Four Thought, The Muslim Soldier

Adnan Sarwar on being a Muslim in the British Army.

Adnan Sarwar describes being a Muslim in the British Army. He says wearing the uniform 'made us all the same'.

Adnan Sarwar, who spent ten years as a soldier, describes how the Army respected his identity as a Muslim, even though he is not religious.

"I was a Pakistani kid in the Army recruitment office in Burnley swearing an oath to the Queen. The Sergeant told me to wait while he went to find a Koran. I said the Bible would do, but he told me that they did things properly in the British Army. People had warned me before I joined that the Army was racist. People still say that to me. People who have never worn that uniform. They can't see that when we did wear that uniform, that it made us all the same."

Producer: Sheila Cook.

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