Forgotten Allies

The first global overview that maps out Muslims’ military, economic, political and logistical contributions to the Allied victory in the Second World War.

The participation of Muslims in the Second World War is frequently ignored, overlooked or mischaracterised. A profound Western-centric scholarly bias has downplayed Muslims’ immense military, economic, social and logistical support for the Allied victory, while overstating the role of a small minority who collaborated with the Axis powers, many under duress as prisoners of war.

Yet at least five million Muslim soldiers fought in every major theatre of war across Asia, Africa and Europe. Their contributions remain so thoroughly marginalised that not a single monograph has been dedicated to their role. This volume attempts to fill this glaring historiographical gap by offering the first overview, in any language, of Muslims’ various wartime contributions to the Allied cause. It brings together senior and emerging scholars from Europe, Asia, Africa and North America to set the record straight on Muslims as forgotten allies.

The objective is not to glorify their contributions or construct a narrative of Muslim heroism. It is rather to challenge selective memory by recounting the histories of a shared past, with the aim of integrating Muslims into the collective memory of the Second World War.