Organisations can now apply for up to £970,000 to design and build a national Muslim War Memorial recognising the contribution of Muslim soldiers during the First and Second World Wars.
The competition is open to a single organisation or a group of organisations willing to work together to deliver the project.
The memorial will be the first prominent national tribute to the Muslim soldiers who served alongside Britain and its allies, including those who travelled from the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
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The Government said the memorial would stand as a permanent tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of the hundreds of thousands of Muslim soldiers who helped secure victory and support peace across the world.
It said there are an estimated 70,000 war memorials across the UK, including several prominent memorials recognising the contribution of other faith groups to the war effort, but no equivalent national tribute to Muslim soldiers.
The memorial will recognise stories including that of Khudadad Khan, the first Muslim to be awarded the Victoria Cross. Khan continued firing his machine gun alone at Hollebeke, Belgium, in 1914 after his fellow soldiers had been killed, despite being severely wounded. He was left for dead on the battlefield, but later crawled back to his regiment under cover of darkness and continued fighting.
It will also honour figures including Shahamad Khan, who received the Victoria Cross for his actions in Mesopotamia in April 1916. Khan manned a machine gun alone close to enemy trenches, resisted counterattacks after most of his men had become casualties and later carried back his gun, ammunition and a severely wounded comrade.
The Government also highlighted the story of Mohammed Hussain, who ran away from home in Rawalpindi and volunteered for the British Indian Army at 16. He later served as a machine gunner at Monte Cassino during the Second World War before moving to the UK in 1960, where he supported ex-servicemen and the families of former comrades until his death in 2025 at the age of 102.
Minister for Faith and Communities Nesil Caliskan said: “Our country is made up of a strong, diverse tapestry of different faith communities – and we owe that freedom to the bravery and sacrifice made by those who fought alongside us for a better future all those years ago.
“Muslim soldiers were a fundamental part of securing victory, but their story has been in the shadows for too long. This memorial will make sure their contribution stays in our memory now, and for generations to come.
“The new memorial will also help to shine a light on the continued impact that Muslims make to British society – from politicians to athletes, and doctors to teachers, our Muslim communities continue to play a vital role in all aspects of our national life.”
Beyond creating the memorial, the successful organisation will be expected to use the project as an educational resource to increase public awareness of Muslim soldiers’ role in British military history.
The Government said the memorial would also support interfaith dialogue and encourage people from different backgrounds to reflect on the shared sacrifice made during the First and Second World Wars.
The project forms part of the Government’s wider Protecting What Matters strategy, which aims to strengthen communities and bring people of different faith backgrounds together.
