For a few hundred years the British Army in India accommodated all kinds of religious practices.

Bahai
Buddhist
Christian (Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant)
Hindu
Muslim
Sikh
Zoroastrian

And others. All served with honor.

Remember, the Indian Army, all 2.5 million plus of them, was the largest non-conscript Army in WWII. Over 83,000 died, and about 36,000 were wounded.

I'm Jewish. When I joined back in 1967 we actually had a Jewish padre come and visit once a month for a chat with me. I was the only one in a bunch of around 2000 trainees and serving personnel. An officer in the Royal Army Chaplains Department, he admitted that he actually had very little to do at the recruit Training Centre and adjacent School of Electronic Engineering, and was also an itinerant rabbi in his spare time, helping out in two major London synagogues.

Back when I joined, in my bit of the Army there were no religious minorities of any kind, at least, openly - people just did NOT discuss their religion or lack of it with anybody, although there were, of course those who went to the base church on a Sunday, and took part in the carol service at Christmas - heck, I did, never turning down the opportunity get a free mince pie and have good singsong. The only religiously diverse part of the British Army at that time, and still today, are the Gurkhas, and they were in their own distinct Gurkha regiments.

I left back in 2000, after thirty-three years, and in all that time I had encountered two Sikhs and one Moslem - all of them in the Royal Air Force.

This new being 'kind and thoughtful and caring' advertisement is attracting a LOT of comment - none of it good. I personally find it all embarassing in the extreme, as I feel it makes the members and prospective members of the Army look like a punch of f*ckin' panty-waisted flakes.

Just my take, of course.

tac

Looked like a bad tactical move everyone standing around waiting.

A Recruitment ad would be the Bayonet Charge in Basra when the Brits ran out of ammo.

https://www.firearmstalk.com/t...arge-in-basra.69695/

This message has been edited. Last edited by: braillediver,

...will be waiting to see the Christian version...

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quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:
Looked like a bad tactical move everyone standing around waiting.

A Recruitment ad would be the Bayonet Charge in Basra when the Brits ran out of ammo.

https://www.firearmstalk.com/t...arge-in-basra.69695/

Agreed 100%.

MY favourite 'poster' -

'Join the Army!

Go to strange exotic places!!

Meet strange exotic people!

And kill them!'

That's MY kind of advertisement.

tac

How easily can the Royal Army maintain it's recruiting numbers? What percentage of military age males in the UK now are Muslim?

The main reason this was interesting to me was that they'd actually show a soldier praying/worshipping.

Never mind that they're pandering to Muslims, it seems odd to me that they'd go out of their way to focus on this aspect of Muslim soldiers (washing/kneeling/praying 50 times a day).

I thought that Great Britain as whole had mostly a secular attitude and frowned on displaying one's religion (I may be wrong, but that's the vibe I get).

quote:

Originally posted by RAMIUS:
The main reason this was interesting to me was that they'd actually show a soldier praying/worshipping.

Never mind that they're pandering to Muslims, it seems odd to me that they'd go out of their way to focus on this aspect of Muslim soldiers (washing/kneeling/praying 50 times a day).

I thought that Great Britain as whole had mostly a secular attitude and frowned on displaying one's religion (I may be wrong, but that's the vibe I get).

Yup, you're right. I have no idea of the religious proclivities of even my closest friends. It is simply none of my business, But then I don't have any moslem friends, either.

BTW, you mean UK, I'm sure. Living in Northern Ireland, which is VERY strongly sectarian [protestant/catholic], even today it would really matter, but I don't live there.

Funny enough, the largest regiment in the British Army, the Royal Irish Regiment, has soldiers and officers from both Christian pursuasions, from both Northern Ireland, where they can represent both sects, to the Republic of Ireland, where they are more likely to be Catholics.

As for the moslem soldier being given time to say his prayers in the middle of actually soldiering, well, you can treat that like the pile of shite that is is.

Mind you, not that I've ever actually MET a British solder who was moslem, but then, I was only in the Army for thirty-three years, and I might have missed him....

tac

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:

Mind you, not that I've ever actually MET a British solder who was moslem, but then, I was only in the Army for thirty-three years, and I might have missed him....

tac

Tac,
When did you get out? I worked with the 1st Royal Irish when they came to JMRC for exercise about 2 years ago or so.

quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
How easily can the Royal Army maintain it's recruiting numbers? What percentage of military age males in the UK now are Muslim?

The British Army [not Royal Army] is having a hard time recruiting right now. As for recruiting moslems, I'd guess that that is falling flat on its ass, since we seem to have been fighting various brand-name moslems on and off since 1991.

I really have no idea how many military age moslem males there are in the UK. Needs some research, but their demograph is quite easy to discern.

1. The great proportion are hard-working people many of whom are employed as doctors/medics of one kind or another, or in higher education - university or colleges. Three of our local doctors are moslems and two are women. One of whom I had never before met, when I introduced myself to her by holding my hand out to shake, said that she did not go in for that kind of thing. I responded by saying in that case, she'd have to inspect my damaged ankle by remote control and so saying, left her alone in her surgery.

2. The minority rest are drug-dealing, child-molesting scumbags, would-be terrorists, or scroungers on the state hand-out system.

From a personal POV, I would have to be REALLY convinced about the motives of a moslem who wanted to join the British Army.

tac

quote:

Originally posted by CD228:Tac,
When did you get out? I worked with the 1st Royal Irish when they came to JMRC for exercise about 2 years ago or so.

28th August 2000.

Dijja see any evidence of religious dissent or sectarian bad feeling?

Were you actually able to figure out who was a catholic and who was protestant?

Bet you saw some black soldiers, right?

I also bet you never saw any kind of moslem.

The Royal Irish homecoming - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1gGaPCOdGg

tac

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
...will be waiting to see the Christian version...

======================================

You'll be waiting a very long time I suspect as they are only interested in kissing Muslim ass right now.

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:

quote:

Originally posted by CD228:Tac,
When did you get out? I worked with the 1st Royal Irish when they came to JMRC for exercise about 2 years ago or so.

28th August 2000.

Dijja see any evidence of religious dissent or sectarian bad feeling?

Were you actually able to figure out who was a catholic and who was protestant?

Bet you saw some black soldiers, right?

I also bet you never saw any kind of moslem.

tac

I saw a lot of Soldiers getting the job done,we were keeping them very busy. I didn't see any overt religion at all. There was an UK Observer Controller group and there was a one fellow that might have been a Gurkha (maybe). I might have seen a black solider, but it doesn't stand out in my memory. I saw no signs of dissent.

Overall, the unit was very professional and very uniform. I was very impressed.

Here's a question, I was told that the UK uses a regimental system where soldiers join a unit on entry into the service and stay in that unit until they elect to leave or are forced to due to billets vs the US system of transferring soldiers every 3 years or so. Is that true? It would definitely add to unit cohesion.

I’m guessing the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is not a big proponent of this ad...

quote:

Originally posted by feersum dreadnaught:
I’m guessing the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is not a big proponent of this ad...

Fusilier Lee Rigby, publicly slaughtered in the street by a pair of POS moslems.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Lee_Rigby

No, Sir, we don't forget him, and his name is remembered where it matters, never fear.

tac