A project is to be launched ahead of Remembrance Sunday to bring Muslim and non-Muslim children together to mark the centenary of the First World War armistice.
Students from Walthamstow School for Girls in Church Hill and Eden Girls’ School in Blackhorse Lane, Walthamstow, are set to take part in the event on Tuesday, October 30, to learn about the Great War and make poppies commemorating the service of fallen soldiers.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has backed the project entitled Remember Together, tweeting: “Remembrance should belong to all of us”.
Imams at mosques across the UK will give remembrance-themed services at Friday prayers and a workshop will be held for Islamic clerics to learn more about the Muslim contribution to WWI.
Remember Together is a partnership between integration think-tank British Future and the Royal British Legion as part of its ‘Thank You’ campaign.
Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, said: “As president of the Walthamstow Royal British Legion, I'm proud to support the work it does to help bring communities together in recognition of the contribution so many have made to our country.
“At a time when some seek to twist the events of the world wars in order to divide our nation, bringing children together to understand the history of Britain and what that means for our shared future has never been so important.”
Poppy wreaths made by the students taking part in the project will be laid at local war memorials as part of Remembrance Sunday services in Waltham Forest on November 11.
Remember Together has been praised by former army heads, charities, religious leaders and politicians alike for uniting the younger generation.
Some 1.5 million Indian soldiers, 400,000 of them Muslims from present-day Pakistan, fought alongside British troops from 1914 to 1918.
Sunder Katwala, director of the charity British Future Director, said: "The centenary of the armistice makes remembrance this year even more special.
“This year, there is more activity than ever before in mosques and Gurdwaras, as well as synagogues and churches, to mark Remembrance.
“That reflects the growth in public awareness of how those who fought together a century ago were just as diverse as modern Britain - and how a commitment to remembering that shared history together offers a powerful counter to those who seek to divide us today."
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