Inspiring Youth

Together now, to discover they were together then

Working with local historian Jahan Mahmood, in Birmingham we bring together young people from across the city to work together to discover the role of Muslims in the World War One and the impact they feel it has had upon society today. Working with British Muslim youth from South Asian backgrounds in Lozells and Non-Muslim youth from West Indian and White British backgrounds in Kingstanding, Phase 1 of this project sees these young people brought together in workshops to learn more about this contribution. During Phase 2 the young people interviewed the descendants of WW1 Indian Muslim soldiers, living in Birmingham today. The young people presented their discoveries and thoughts to an invited audience as part of a culminating event.

Birmingham Mail Feature: The ‘forgotten’ army of 400,000 Muslim soldiers who fought in Great War trenches for Britain

The Birmingham Mail wrote a feature inspired by this project which became the second most shared article of 2015. Click here to read more

Lozells youth club members listening to local historian Jahan Mahmood

Tel: 020 7632 9069 Fax: 020 7632 9061 info@britishfuture.org Website accessibility

The project is a collaboration between think-tank British Future and the organisation New Horizons for British Islam. British Future is an independent, non-partisan thinktank seeking to involve people in an open conversation, which addresses people’s hopes and fears about identity and integration, migration and opportunity, so that we feel confident about Britain’s Future. New Horizons is a forward-looking organisation that will work for reform in Muslim thought and practise. It is inspired by Islamic values and speaks from within the Islamic tradition for the benefit of all.