INTERFAITH CEREMONY REMEMBERS WW2 SOLDIERS

A joint Christian-Muslim service was held in the Highlands on May 1 to commemorate Indian soldiers who died during the Second World War.

The service was held in Kingussie Cemetery, which contains the graves of nine Muslim soldiers from the K6 Force Royal Indian Army Service Corps.

It was conducted by Sayed Razawi, Chief Imam and Director General of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society, and the Rev Catherine Buchan, minister of Kingussie Parish Church; and organised in co-operation with the Royal British Legion Scotland. One of the attendees travelled from India for the service.

As well as commemorating the fallen, the event recognised the work of Isobel Harling, who has cared for the graves of the Muslim soldiers for over six decades, having watched some of the burials.

The Ahlul Bayt Society said on Facebook: “The solemn and emotional service gave dignitaries and residents of Kingussie, including the local Army Cadets, the chance to live an important lesson: to recognise the shared sacrifices made by Muslims and others that have shaped the world of today.”

Force K6 was a mule transport corps. 13 Muslim soldiers from the corps are buried in Scotland, nine of them at Kingussie. Most died while they were in the Cairngorms for mountain training (after being evacuated from Dunkirk), from accidents or illness.