A Documentary on the Remarkable Uprising of Indian Muslim Soldiers Refusing to Fight the Ottoman Caliph

A documentary (see below) by Metin Örsel brings out the heroism of the Indian Muslim soldiers in the British army who, on Feb 15, 1915, in Singapore, rose up against their British officers for fear of being ordered to fight their Caliph–the Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed V. They gave precedence to the oath they had given to their Creator, while in their primordial state, over the oath they gave to the British Queen.

However, being disorganized, these soldiers were soon overpowered, with assistance received from other European naval forces. A court of enquiry was held and 200 sepoys faced court-martial, with 47 executed publicly by firing squad at Outram Prison, in front of over 15,000 spectators. Some 73 more were given terms of imprisonment ranging from seven to 20 years while 64 others were transported for life, bringing to an end one of the more curious episodes of the Great War

Among those who were killed by the firing squad, mainly consisting of volunteers, were a local religious leader Nur Alum Shah and a pro-Turkey Gujarati coffee shop owner, Kassim Mansur.