The time Churchill built a mosque
Re: “The vital difference between Muslims and Islam”, Have Your Say, February 19.
JC Wilcox rightly points out my careless misquote from his earlier letter, but in seeking to draw a distinction between Muslims and the religion of Islam, he is I think on shaky ground. Furthermore, I am sure that most Muslims would not be too impressed with his observations. In his book “The River War”, published in 1899 when he was only 25 years old, Churchill recounted his experiences as a junior army officer during Britain’s military campaign in the Sudan. He expressed his admiration for the martial qualities of Muslims, but also made clear his disdain for Islam.
However, subsequently his views seemed to change. In 1907 some in his family were so concerned about his admiration for Islam they even feared he might convert. Then in 1940, during Britain’s “darkest hour”, Prime Minister Churchill and his wartime Cabinet authorised a budget of 100,000 pounds for the construction of what became known as the London Central Mosque. In 1944, King George VI officially opened an Islamic Cultural Centre attached to the mosque and built on land the king had donated. Mr Wilcox’s self-serving attempt to give credence to his anti-Islam stance by citing remarks made by Churchill when we was a very young man is surely ill judged, and amounts to an unwarranted slur on the great man’s reputation.
Robin Grant
