This is a sponsored article in partnership with the Royal Air Force…
Whether you have ever considered a career in one of the UK’s armed forces or not, many of us are well aware that they offer a rewarding, exciting, and challenging adventure.
However, for some people, their preconceptions of the military services can place enough doubt in their minds that they may give up on the idea without ever taking a closer look.
Many ideal candidates will have asked themselves questions like ‘will they accept somebody who looks like me?’ or, ‘can I serve while also honouring my religious beliefs?’
To help answer these questions and more, VT has spoken to four people currently serving in the UK’s Royal Air Force who also proudly represent their ethnic minority backgrounds and religions.
In our first interview, I spoke with Squadron Leader Amir Khan about his storied 35-year career in the RAF.
While the ever-evolving and demanding lifestyle of the RAF may not be for everybody, Sqn Ldr Khan wants everyone to know that the door is always open for them to give it a go - no matter what they look like, where they come from, or what religion they follow.
Sqn Ldr Khan tells me that, as a young boy, he was raised in a “very large” and “predominantly conservative Muslim” family in Bradford. He had “always wanted to join the military” after listening to his father’s stories about serving in the Royal Navy.
“My father spent time in the Royal Navy and from a very young age, he would tell us stories about where he’s been. And he was so proud when he would tell us these stories, he would sort of bring himself to attention, and that was something that resonated with me from a very young age,” he said.
After opting for the RAF over the Navy because he couldn’t swim, an 18-year-old Khan paid a visit to his local Armed Forces Careers Office and expressed his desire to enroll. However, he had his concerns.
“I was from a Muslim background, I was going into a predominantly white-British arena,” he says. “I always thought, you know, ‘how would I be accepted and would we understand each other?’ So those concerns did go through my mind.”
Khan adds: “Being a Muslim, as well, I thought to myself, ‘Would I be able to practice my religion?’”
However, with his immediate family supporting his decision, Khan knew that he wouldn’t know the answers to these questions unless he enrolled.
“I thought, ‘well, it’s going to be okay. Let’s just take that step and see what happens,’” he says.
And although his parents and siblings supported his decision, his extended family and the local community had their concerns.
He tells me: “The community wasn’t 100% on-side with it and there were people who were saying, ‘oh, you’re joining the military, what’s going to happen?’ The idea or the perception that they had [was] that we were always at war and it was dangerous. And would I be able to be who I am? Would I be able to get the right food? … All of those things were discussed.”
However, thanks to his own military background, Khan’s father assured everybody that his son would be okay.
In those early stages, Khan’s father advised his son that he needed “to be ready for that discipline”, and his brother also told Khan that although there would be challenges, he would soon learn how to deal with them.
So in May of 1986, Khan enrolled in the RAF and started his basic training.
Admittedly a “quiet and shy” teenager at the time, Khan recalled how he soon faced those challenges.
“There were challenges, because I was the only person of colour out of 150 people - so I stood out,” he says. “But there was a robust system in place to be able to deal with those challenges.”
Highlighting the pastoral care from his corporals, Khan tells me that the RAF has always been “massively supportive” of him.
“What the RAF tends to do is, if you’ve got some skill, they will push that,” he says.
After completing his basic training, Khan trained as an RAF medic. Surrounded by people who “encouraged learning”, he would go on to become Squadron Medic - a role that allowed Khan to advance his medical training and learn new skills. Eventually, he earned his diploma in Primary Healthcare Management
Speaking of his progression, he tells me: “I started as a Leading Aircraftman and went all the way up to Warrant Officer, which is the highest rank you can get as an airman. I was then commissioned to become an Officer and here I am now as a Squadron Leader. With doing my diploma, masters, leadership courses along the way.”
Throughout his 35-year career in the RAF, Khan has travelled all over the world - from Norway to Bosnia to Iraq to Turkey to Afghanistan - learning something new from each place he visited.
When I ask about a key memory from his career, he tells me: “We recently brought back a young lady from Afghanistan who wasn’t very well and wasn’t in a very good environment.
“There were challenges along the way to get her back to the United Kingdom to the superb NHS, and with doctors waiting.
“By the time we went through that whole thing and got her back to the hospital, she looked up and smiled - and that smile said an awful lot. Her eyes, that smile - it was that ‘thank you’.”
“There were challenges along the way, but we managed to do that,” he tells me.
When our conversation moves to what the Royal Air Force is currently doing to promote more diversity and inclusion within the service, Sqn Ldr Khan tells me that it comes from the top-down: “Our Chief of the Air Staff is massively passionate about making our workforce more diverse.”
Speaking about what the RAF can now provide, he adds: “It’s a massive difference from 1986 - from when I joined - to where we are now. Hugely different.”
Sqn Ldr Khan currently works for the RAF’s Ethnic Minorities Recruiting Strategy and is a proud representative for the Armed Forces Muslim Association.
He informs me that there are 23 different networks that exist in the Ministry of Defence, adding: “All of these networks are there for people of different backgrounds, faiths, gender - you name it, it’s all there.”
Each network - whether it be Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh, Christian, etc. - also works together to establish the best possible practices in order to support people of all backgrounds in the RAF.
As a member of the Armed Forces Muslim Association, Sqn Ldr Khan shares just some of the many ways the RAF has helped him and countless others practice their religion while serving.
There is now an RAF Imam, halal rations, and even an opportunity to complete a liaise visit to Saudi Arabia, which allows those of the Muslim faith to complete the Hajj.
When I ask Sqn Ldr Khan what he would say to anybody thinking of joining the RAF who may have reservations due to their ethnicity, racial background, heritage, or religion, he tells me: “The first thing I’d say to them is to go and find out.
“The communities have a perception of what the military does, and that tends to resonate. So part of my job is to get into the higher echelon of these communities - those gatekeepers or influencers or whatever name you want to give them - who are overseeing those communities.
“I remember when I was joining, I had to go speak to my older brother, my father, the local Iman, and the local community leaders - that hasn’t changed, that still goes on now. So their idea resonates downwards.”
He adds:
“I can say to all those people of diverse backgrounds - whether it’s religion or you think your colour may bar you from doing things - it doesn’t. You will bring your whole self to work, you’ll get treated as a team member, and advancement is there.”
Those considering enrolling in the RAF can also take advantage of station visits, where they can speak with members of the RAF engagement team. These are amazing opportunities to take a look at what is on offer in the service, as well as speak to those involved.
Sqn Ldr Khan also informs me about ‘reflective role models’ within the Royal Air Force.
“If you look like someone, sound like someone, and understand them - you resonate with them a little bit better.” he says. “They will show you what they’ve done and talk about their experiences before you make your decision.”
But overall, his advice is simple: “Go find out. Read the literature. Meet the people.”
“We’ve got more to do, don’t get me wrong, and we’re still looking for new avenues and more ways of changing.”
But reflecting on his own 35-year career and his own personal experiences within the RAF as a Muslim man, he tells me: “You wouldn’t stay in one particular job for that amount of time if you thought it wasn’t a good environment.
“And the good thing about the military is, you can swap and change from a medic to be able to do management in the medical world, to do some intelligence work to be able now go and do engagement.
“I’ve done all sorts of stuff. I’ve travelled all over the world and it’s been fulfilling.”
For more information about life in the Royal Air Force and to find your role in the RAF, visit https://recruitment.raf.mod.uk/.