Yet while British opinion on foreign wars is largely split, support for the troops themselves is almost universal, with around 80 per cent expressing a high opinion of them in most polls. It is especially controversial in Northern Ireland with most Irish nationalists and Catholics refusing to wear one, mainly due to the actions of the British army during The Troubles. I should also point out that many non-Muslim Britons do not support poppy-wearing either. And believe you me this is a non-exhaustive list. Libya in 2011 Iraq again in 1990 Egypt in 1956 the brutal role the British military played in quelling colonial insurgencies in Indonesia, Malaysia and Yemen and of course their historical role in sowing the seeds for devastating conflicts and misery in Palestine and Kashmir. It’s also important to mention how the invasion of Afghanistan has now completely destabilised its neighbour, Pakistan.Īnd these are just two recent examples of how the imperialistic British army has consistently helped to destroy the Muslim world. British soldiers in actionĪnd in Afghanistan the British army helped to topple a government which had largely stabilised the nation, an act which led to an inevitable resistance struggle with tens of thousands (if not more) dying over the last decade. And of course the British army was responsible for several atrocities committed against Iraqi civilians, the Baha Moussa case being just one of them. In Iraq the invading armies literally opened the gates of hell with consequences that would lead to the deaths of around a million people and would destroy a whole nation. ![]() And make no mistake, this is an army that has invaded and occupied two Muslim countries since 2001 – Iraq and Afghanistan – and has a general history of slaughter and oppression against Muslims. Most of us have no issue commemorating the war dead in a general sense, but the fact is that the poppy is widely perceived as being a symbol of the British army itself in a similar way to how the “Help For Heroes” campaign is. And for Muslims this is precisely the problem. The poppy has been used since 1920 to commemorate soldiers who’ve died in war. It is especially prominent in the UK where poppies are sold by The Royal British Legion for their “Poppy Appeal”, which supports all current and former British military personnel. The sight of people wearing the red poppy in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Sunday is extremely common in the UK and on mainstream TV channels poopy-wearing almost seems to be compulsory. But go to any Muslim area of Britain or observe any Muslim on the street or workplace and hardly any of them will be wearing one. And there’s a simple reason for that – the poppy is a symbol of support for the British army and most Muslims in this country cannot support an institution which has regularly killed their brethren over the last decades and more, writes Roshan Muhammed Salih. Because of the history where I come from in Derry, I cannot wear something that represents that.I won’t be wearing a poppy on Remembrance Sunday next week and neither will the overwhelming majority of British Muslims. "I would wear it every day of the year if that was the thing but it doesn't, it stands for all the conflicts that Britain has been involved in. "If the poppy was simply about World War One and Two victims alone, I'd wear it without a problem. "People say I am being disrespectful but don’t ask why I choose not to wear it. "We are coming up to Remembrance Day and I won’t wear a poppy on my shirt," McClean said. ![]() The Derry-born wide man has refused to wear a poppy on his shirt for previous clubs Sunderland and Wigan and he has often been criticised for that decision.īut in an interview in the official West Brom match day programme earlier this season he explained why he feels he cannot wear a poppy on his shirt. McClean will wear a shirt without a poppy in today's game against Leicester at the Hawthorns and in next weekend's clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford. James McClean will not wear a poppy on his West Brom shirt to commemorate Remembrance Day.
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