Jabron Hashmi

Early life and career

Jabron Hashmi was born in Peshawar, Pakistan, and moved to the United Kingdom with his family when he was 12. He joined the British Army in 2004. After completing his training for the Intelligence Corps at DISC, Chicksands, he was attached to 14 Signals Regiment, of the Royal Signals in January 2006 before being sent to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

Hashmi deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as part of the 3 PARA battlegroup. He was killed on 1 July 2006, in Sangin, Helmand Province, Afghanistan as a result of a rocket attack on a platoon house. His family described him as a "committed soldier. He was fiercely proud of being British." "He went to Afghanistan hoping to build bridges between the east and the west. He has always wanted to serve his country since he was a little boy. We were born just 40 minutes from the Afghan border so he was very excited to get back over there and experience the culture." "He combined his love of Islam with the love of Britain and his main reason for joining the army was to make a difference. He certainly did that. Jabron was a cheeky confident and outgoing young man. He was very caring towards his family and friends and a very caring person."

Hashmi's commanding officer said: "Enthusiastic, confident and immensely popular, Lance Corporal Hashmi displayed all the qualities of a first class soldier. His enthusiasm for the role he had been given was simply outstanding. He was brimming with confidence and hugely keen to take part in all the training prior to the operation. Once deployed in Helmand Province, his skills proved vital in support of the 3 PARA battlegroup, providing protection for his comrades in the highly demanding working conditions of southern Afghanistan. A fine young man, his sad loss will be felt by us all."

Response within Muslim community

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) paid tribute to L/Cpl Hashmi saying that although the Afghan conflict was unpopular with many Muslims, soldiers could not pick and choose their battles. Inayat Bunglawala, the MCB spokesperson said, "This is far from the first time Muslims have given their lives in the service of this country, many did so in the two World Wars, but in recent years they have been under-represented in the Army."

However, some Muslims called him a traitor and an apostate to Islam. Mahmud Abdul Baari, a follower of the exiled preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed, called Hashmi a terrorist, adding: "Although born Muslim [he] grew up to become an apostate traitor to Islam and professional terrorist who unlike members of al-Qa'eda took a salary".