Remember

During World War I Mohandas (later 'Mahatma') Gandhi actively encouraged Indians to enlist for the British army. His expectation was that a grateful Britain would grant Indian independence and that an independent India would need a trained army - training they could receive fighting for the British crown. 

"To bring about such a state of things we should have the ability to defend ourselves, that is, the ability to bear arms and to use them... If we want to learn the use of arms with the greatest possible dispatch, it is our duty to enlist ourselves in the army", he wrote in a recruitment leaflet

'Indians' at the time, of course, included a large minority of Muslims, in addition to the Hindu majority. One million young men, of both faiths, answered the call; 60,000 of them died as a result

Taking WWI and WWII together, 750,000 Muslims from India, the Middle East and Africa fought for Britain

In his speech on budget day, the Chancellor announced he will pay for a memorial to Muslims who died in service. Some of his party colleagues affect to find this divisive. "To single peoples out is to reinforce division", said one MP. There is some pretty cynical and petty, factional politics here on all sides

However, I looked up the list of existing memorials to those who served and died in warfare at the National Memorial Arboretum, where the one for Muslims will be erected. There are around 400, for all kinds of small sub-groups who make up the totality of the British armed forces, including

Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women Memorial

Brigade of Gurkhas Memorial

King's African Rifles Memorial

Polish Forces War Memorial

Quaker Services Memorial

Rhodesian African Rifles and Rhodesia Native Regiment Memorial

Royal Indian Navy and Indian Army Memorial

Salvation Army Memorial

Sikh Memorial

Spiritualists' National Union Memorial

Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces Memorial

Yorkshire Regiment Memorial

We could discuss which of these might be most divisive (my money is on the last one), or we could treat the whole confected furore with the contempt it deserves

We are on chicken duty again. It is raining again. It is muddy again. It has been a wonderful winter for lichen, thriving here on a lightweight barrier intended to keep the chickens in their place - fostering division, you might say