Pakistan-born officer becomes British military's highest-ranking Muslim

[Owais]

Pakistan-born officer becomes British military's highest-ranking Muslim
Thu Aug 31, 11:12 PM ET



LONDON (AFP) - Pakistan-born immigrant Amjad Hussain became the highest-ranking Muslim in the British armed forces, obtaining the rank of rear admiral in the Royal Navy.
Amjad Hussain, 48, who moved to Britain with his family in 1962, is the country's first non-white admiral.
"I have been really astonished at the number of people I have met who are not acquainted with the military who have expressed almost shock that we have a rear admiral in the Royal Navy from a background like mine," he said on Thursday.
"Some of my friends in other European countries have simply said it wouldn't happen here. So I think that's a mark of how far Britain has progressed."
Hussain joined the Royal Navy in 1977 aged 18.
He showed Diana, princess of Wales around his frigate HMS Cornwall in 1989 and escorted Queen Elizabeth II on the Antarctic patrol vessel HMS Endurance as she reviewed the fleet off the southern English coast in June last year.
His last posting as Commodore Hussain was at Portsmouth on the southern English coast, the home of the British fleet, where he was the naval base commander.
Hussain said the British armed forces were a "meritocracy", adding that young people should not limit their ambitions because they thought some careers were closed to them.
"I work in an organisation that is very, very focused on promoting on merit, very focused on encouraging hard work and team work," he said.
"For those kids out there, I just want to make the point that they shouldn't let their futures, their ambitions, be imprisoned by their own prejudices and it's too easy to do that."
Asked about his opinions on British military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said: "I am in the implementation business and I get on with it. In my position as a government servant I can't either support or criticise policy decisions."
He said he had never experienced animosity from the Muslim community over his naval career.
Rear admiral is the fourth-highest rank in the Royal Navy, equivalent to a major-general in the Army or an air commodore in the Royal Air Force.

 

[khawajafarid]

its all about your own talent

 

[muse]

These are always very ccurious threads to me - Pakistani immigrants who serve with distinction in the militaries of Western countries are generally seen as net positives but those militaries themselves are not? What explain this ?

 

[indushek]

These are always very ccurious threads to me - Pakistani immigrants who serve with distinction in the militaries of Western countries are generally seen as net positives but those militaries themselves are not? What explain this ?

Do u think this underlines the myopic view of people??

 

[muse]

Actually I don't really know - Myopic, how?

 

[back me up]

its interesting how pakistani immigrants get high rank in the military in western countries. there are some in US too.

indians suk at military though. we are just among the richest people in US and UK

 

[indushek]

Actually I don't really know - Myopic, how?

I say myopic because the point u were making holds good for not only Pakistan but also India and other south asian countries with sizable non resident citizens in developed countries. I mean we feel proud and elated when we see persons of our ethnicity making up the social ladder in such countries however we cannot agree with the countries policies and other things like culture habits etc.

In this way we concentrate on things positive to us and cannot accept which are distasteful to us. I hope i could explain myself well.

 

[muse]

And that is myopic -- how?

Should we also like their policies, even when they are harmful? Are we are being "myopic" when we offer criticism? Are the only role we may play is that of cheerleaders for policies we think bring harm?

 

[indushek]

Well sir

from their side wouldn't it amount the same??

Also please understand i am not saying that we should accept everything of theirs, it was just a thought of mine since i have seen many of my friends colleagues and neighbours passing same comments. So it was a thought of mine.