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Why faith is central to Merlin engineer Mo’s success at Culdrose as Ramadan begins
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17 February 2026
A Royal Navy helicopter engineering officer has spoken of his faith in Islam as he prepares for the fast of Ramadan.
Lieutenant Muhamed “Mo” Febil Elayadath Puthenveettil is an assistant air engineering officer with Merlin Helicopter Force’s 824 Naval Air Squadron.
The 34-year-old said the observance of Ramadan, which begins with the first sighting of the new moon and expected from Tuesday, 17 February, is a central principle of his religion.
For a month, Muslims abstain between sunrise and sunset from all food and drink – showing their commitment by refraining even from a sip of water.
“For me, I believe in God – Allah – and I believe in Islam,” he said. “My life’s journey is based on this and, as Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, I follow what it says. I am a proud believer in God so I have to follow what God wants of me, to make me a better person.
“Ramadan is like intermediate fasting. One of the good things about being in the UK is it’s cold – so you don’t get thirsty. I feel more confident and energetic when I am fasting. I’ve been observing Ramadan for more than 18 years now. It’s more about how your brain works than a physical thing.”
Lt Muhamed Febil grew up in a Muslim household in the district of Thrissur, in Kerala in southern India. After completing an engineering degree in his home country, he came to the UK to study for a Master’s degree in business administration at University of Northampton.
It was while he was completing his studies in the UK that he decided to join the Royal Navy with an ambition to become an air engineering officer.
In my opinion, if you have the skills and qualifications, then the navy will support you 100 per cent. They will try to push you through the ranks and put you in the place you belong.
He said: “In my opinion, if you have the skills and qualifications, then the navy will support you 100 per cent. They will try to push you through the ranks and put you in the place you belong.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re white, from the Commonwealth, or a brown guy from India. There are always good officers there to support you. They will look at your skill set, potential and character, and nobody ever asked me about my skin colour, my religious background or my ethnicity.”
Lt Muhamed Febil joined the navy as a logistics rating in 2019, and was selected for officer training in 2022. He applied to become a British citizen, and as a result gave up his Indian citizenship as India does not recognise dual nationality.
As part of his religion, he prays five times a day and said it was useful being an officer, as he has his own office in the squadron building at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose.
“Prayer is simple in Islam,” he added. “If you don’t have a place to stand, you can sit. I don’t have a prayer mat in my office, so I just close the door for five minutes and pray in my chair.
“The people around me are supportive - and they are curious, which makes me really happy.”
He added: “When I came to this country, I joined the military service which trained me. Whenever I visit family in India, people say that I’ve changed and of course I have. It’s like the advert. I was born in India, but made in the Royal Navy. You really can say that.”
Lieutenant Muhamed Febil has also applied to represent the UK Armed Forces at this year’s Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.