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Pakistan-born officer becomes British military's highest-ranking Muslim
LONDON, Aug 31, 2006 (APP/AFP) - Pakistan-born
immigrant Amjad Hussain became the highest-ranking Muslim in
the British armed forces on Thursday, 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.
"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.
APP/AFP/
LONDON, Aug 31, 2006 (APP/AFP) - Pakistan-born
immigrant Amjad Hussain became the highest-ranking Muslim in
the British armed forces on Thursday, 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.
"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.
APP/AFP/
