By Caroline Jaine

Last year I learned that Mary mother of Jesus is not just a key figure in the Catholic faith, but that the same woman – Maryam - is important in Islam too. Maryam, the only woman to be named in the Qur’an, has a whole chapter dedicated to her. On discussing this with Iraqi friends last year in Baghdad, they immediately became excited about Maryam’s potential not simply as a bridge between faiths, but as a figure in their community who might inspire greater respect for women. I wondered why I hadn’t come across this striking aspect of Islam before.

By Jahan Mahmood

In Britain’s hour of need, when she faced the might of the German Army, it was not America that came to her aid but the fighting men of the Indian subcontinent. They came from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan and most of all the province of Punjab. These men were in effect allied to the British Raj, a state that had subjected their land to more than 50 years of colonial repression. Yet they participated in both major wars and performed outstanding acts of gallantry.