Jabron Hashmi
Encyclopedia
Lance-Corporal Jabron Hashmi or Jibran Hashmi (23 April 1982—July 1, 2006) was a British soldier who died.
Hashmi was born in Peshawar
, Pakistan
, and moved to Britain
with his family when he was 12. He joined the 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
. 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."
His 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."
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 more extremist 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".
Hashmi was born in Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, and moved to Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with his family when he was 12. He joined the 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
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. He was killed on 1 July 2006, in Sangin
Sangin
Sangin is a town in Helmand province of Afghanistan, with population of approximately 14,000 people. It is located on in the valley of the Helmand River at 888 m altitude, 95 km to the north-east of Lashkar Gah. Sangin is notorious as one of the central locations of the opium trade in the...
, Helmand Province
Helmand Province
Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
, 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."
His 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."
The Muslim Council of Britain
Muslim Council of Britain
The Muslim Council of Britain is a self-appointed umbrella body for national, regional, local and specialist organisations and institutions from different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds within British Islamic society. It was established in 1997 to help Muslims, to increase education about the...
(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 more extremist 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".