Muslim world during the Second world war

This article treats bonds which existed between the Muslim world, the Allies and the forces of the Axis.

The Muslim world was a geographical and ideological battle field for the Alliés and the forces of the Axe. It was of a great interest for its mineral resources, roads, and sometimes for its man resources. During first half of the 20th century, the very great majority of the current countries of the world arabo-Moslem was not independent. The French and English colonial empires, as well as the the USSR, had control mainly of it.

Near and the Middle East

North Africa

After the coup d'etat of November 8th, 1942 in Algiers, within the framework of the Operation Torch, of many Moslems of the North-African colonies were engaged in the allied forces within the French Forces free and engaged on the Italian and French faces. In Algeria, the conscription engaged approximately as many Moslems as the pied-noir ones (Europeans) in the French Army. The Rifleman S Morrocans (goumiers), often of Berber origin, were on the other hand all of the volunteers. Future presidents of Algeria Ahmed Ben Bella and Mohammed Boudiaf, volunteer and decorated.

On the other hand, during the Occupation in Metropolitan France, several hundreds of North-Africans began in the French Milice, constituting the North-African Légion.

British protectorates

In the areas under British control, Egypt, Palestine etc of the independence movements and nationalist Arab see in the forces of the Axis a means of émanciper of the colonial supervision. Thus tens of Jews are stopped with the Cairo in 1942, in preparation for a possible arrival of the German troops.

The Germans exploited the resentment against the British domination and were allies, thus the Large Mufti of Jerusalem Amin Al-Husseini, or Rachid Ali in Iraq, whose British had to crush the putsh in April - May 1941.

A unit of the Waffen S consisted of volunteers resulting from the Indian sub-continent: the S Indian Freies Legion, whose members were Moslem, Hindu or sikhs.

Iran

The bringings together of Reza Shah with the Germany which contributed much to the industry of the country (first business partner of Iran in 1939) worry the British. When the war bursts, the British ask Reza Shah to expel the German citizens of the country, which he refuses. Reza Shah, having declared the neutrality of Iran, again refuses a request of allied to make use of the country to make pass from the ammunition, which pushes Great Britain and the USSR with to invade Iran the August 25th 1941. Reza Shah is forced to abdicate in favor of his/her son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The allies make use of the country to forward of the military material to the the USSR, thanks to the Persian Corridor.

Muslim populations of Eastern Europe

The Moslem Bosnians and the Moslem Albanians were for certain objective allies of the forces of the Axis because of their dispute with the Serb ones. But good number entered communist resistance to Bosnia-Herzégovine, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria directed by Tito. The heart of resistance, the Republic of Bihać, was mainly populated Moslems.

In 1943, large the Mufti of Jerusalem, Hadj Amin Al-Husseini finds in the Nazis of allied of circumstance, because it fought the reinstalment of the Jews in Palestine (It wanted to even create a legion Palestinian S.). It goes in Yugoslavia and takes part in the formation of the division S Handschar. This division is made up of Bosnian S Moslems. Were also created Albanian divisions S, with Moslem women majority.

After the war, Yugoslavia will require, without success, the Extradition of Egypt of the large mufti of Jerusalem so that he is judged.

Divisions S also consisted of Moslems of the Caucasus and Central Asia. See the article: Units of Waffen S.

See also: the 13th division S of mountain Handschar, Hadj Amin Al-Husseini

Other areas

The Turkey under the presidency of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk had a policy strongly anti Nazie, Mustafa Kemal is reconciled with the Greece of Venizélos and the France. It also approaches to the Yugoslavia and the Romania to lock the Balkans against the influence of the Nazi Germany. It named a Dönme H with the head of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Turkey in addition accommodated many German academics of Jewish origin fleeing the Nazism, like Hirsch, Neumark, Eckstein, Reichenbach or Richard von Mises. During the second world war, Turkey chaired by Ismet Inönü remains neutral and declared the war in Germany only at the end of February 1945.

One found also Moslems in:

the British Army, mainly originating in the Indian sub-continent and Black Africa.
the Red Army, mainly originating in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
the American Army, mainly of black-American converted with Islam.
the French Army: in addition to the North-Africans referred to above, it is necessary to add the Moslems of French Black Africa.

References

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