mosque

Inauguration of the East London Mosque

Date: 
01 Aug 1941
Precise date unknown: 
N
End date: 
01 Aug 1941
Precise end date unknown: 
N
Event location: 

446, 448, 450 Commercial Road, London E1

About: 

This event marked the culmination of decades of planning and organisation towards a London mosque to serve the needs of east London South Asian Muslim lascars and other workers. The event was organised by the Jamiat-ul-Muslimin and attended by approximately 300 people, including several soldiers from the Indian Company of the Pioneer corps in the charge of Lieutenant C. S. K. Pathy, and representatives from a range of Muslim countries. Sir Hassan Suhrawardy, Chairman of the Executive Committee, gave a welcome speech which was followed by the official opening ceremony performed by Hassan Nachat Pasha and prayers led by Sheikh Hafiz Wahba, Minister of Saudi Arabia. Sir Ernest Hotson, Honorary Secretary of the Executive Committee, spoke on the origin and development of the London Mosque Scheme, and Said Amir Shah and Ahmaddin Qureshi spoke on behalf of the Jamiat-ul-Muslimin. Copies of a booklet entitled 'The Millat of Islam and the Menace of "Islamism"' written by C. Rahmat Ali of the Pakistan National Movement were distributed. There were also some non-Muslims from the South Asian community present, including C. L. Katial.

Organizer: 
Jamiat-ul-Muslimin
People involved: 

Sir Hassan Suhrawardy (Chairman of Executive Committee)

Sir Ernest Hotson (Honorary Secretary)

Sheikh Hafiz Wahba (Minister of Saudi Arabia)

Hassan Nachat Pasha

Said Amir Shah (on behalf of the Jamiat-ul-Muslimin)

Ahmed Din Qureshi (on behalf of the Jamiat-ul-Muslimin)

C. L. Katial

Published works: 

Pamphlet commemorating the opening ceremony of the East London Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre.

Secondary works: 

Ansari, Humayun, The Making of the East London Mosque: 1910-1951. Minutes of the London Mosque Fund and East London Mosque Trust Ltd (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011)

Archive source: 

File IOR: L/PJ/12/468, African and Asian Studies Reading Room, British Library, St Pancras

Tags for Making Britain: 

Islamic Review

About: 

The Islamic Review was the organ of the Shah Jahan Mosque at Woking. It was inaugurated in 1913 by the then Imam of the mosque, Khwaja Kamaluddin, and ran until 1967. During its lifespan, the periodical had a series of editors who often also preached at the mosque or served as Imam there for a period of time. It had numerous regular contributors. It was widely distributed, free of charge.

There is much emphasis in the periodical on the misrepresentation of Islam in the British press and misconceptions about Islam on the part of the British people. Indeed, a key aim of the journal seems to be to challenge these by articulating the similarities between Islam and Christianity and the compatibility of Islam with British life. The journal suggests a progressive approach to Islam on the part of the mosque, with an emphasis on inter-faith dialogue and rational argument. Numerous pieces explain and defend Islam’s view on women, often in response to articles in the British press representing Muslim culture as polygamous and Muslim women as oppressed, as well as the religion’s attitude towards alcohol, fasting and prayer, for example. The similarity of their concerns to the concerns of British Muslims now is striking. The journal also includes several testimonials by English converts to Islam including Lord Headley whose conversion triggered numerous articles in the press. Further content includes articles on the celebration of Eid at the Woking mosque, as well as sermons and photographs, and reviews of books about Islam.

Example: 

Ahmed, K. S., ‘Islam in England’, Islamic Review 25.2 (February 1937), pp. 42-4

Other names: 

The Islamic Review and Muslim India

Secondary works: 

Ahmad, Nasir, Eid Sermons at the Shah Jehan Mosque, Woking, England, 1931-1940 (Lahore, Aftab-ud-Din Memorial Benevolent Trust, 2002)

Ally, M. M., ‘History of Muslims in Britain, 1850-1980’, unpublished MA dissertation (University of Birmingham, 1981)

Ansari, Humayun, ‘The Infidel Within’: Muslims in Britain since 1800 (London: Hurst, 2004)

Salamat, Muslim P., A Miracle at Woking: A History of the Shahjahan Mosque (London: Phillimore, 2008)

Content: 

This article describes the celebration of the Eid festival at the Shah Jahan Mosque at Woking. It is accompanied by photographs.

Date began: 
01 Jan 1913
Extract: 

As usual, nearly every member of the Muslim community in England had been informed several days beforehand of the Eid day. This enabled Muslims from different parts of the British Isles, representing various classes, races and countries, to congregate at the Mosque at Woking on this auspicious occasion.

Here in England, during the previous four weeks, we had been passing through a period of most uncertain weather and, on the eve of the Eid, rain fell in torrents continuing far into the night. However, as the darkness of the night gave place to the first rosy streaks of the dawn, the sun, for the first time for a full month, shone brightly and clearly in the azure sky.

This was indeed a happy sign, although admirable arrangements had been made for the comfort of the guests, to enable them to be independent, to a certain extent, of the English climate.

Special trains from London soon began to bring the devotees, many picturesquely and colourfully dressed, to their destination, and the Faithful began to assemble in groups on the rich carpets spread in the large electrically-lit and well-heated Marquee on the lawn of the Mosque grounds.

Here were Fezes in shades of red, top-hats, soft hats, turbans, caps and astrakhan hats, gorgeously covered robes and graceful saris, lounge suits, frock-coats and even ‘plus fours.’ Here were English Muslim ladies and gentlemen from different counties of the British Isles, representatives from Turkey, Iran, Russia, Nigeria, Egypt and India. Here were they all, rich and poor, ready to unite in prayer to Allah, and to prostrate themselves as one before the Almighty, testifying to that vast and all-embracing spirit of brotherhood which is Islam’s unique and peculiar gift to mankind.

It was indeed a demonstration of the common fraternity of mankind, unique in this land where not only political and social differences but also religious and sectarian schisms are rife.

Precise date began unknown: 
Y
Key Individuals' Details: 

Editors: Aftab-ud-Din Ahmad, Khwaja Nazir Ahmed, Khwaja Kamaluddin, Muhammad Yakub Khan, Abdul Majid, Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall.

Relevance: 

This extract emphasizes the commitment of Muslims to practising their faith in Britain as early as the 1930s, and probably before then. By describing Eid celebrations in the context of rainy English weather, the passage locates Islam firmly within Britain. The description of bright coloured clothing adorning the grounds of the mosque further suggests the ways in which this minority religion transformed the geography of a small Surrey town. The passage conveys a sense of the mosque as a focal point for Muslims in Britain, where divisions of ‘race’, class and nationality are transgressed through faith.

Connections: 

Contributors: Aftab-ud-Din Ahmad, K. S. Ahmed, Saiyed Maqbool Ahmed, Begum Sultan Mir Amir-ud-Din, W. B. Bashyr-Pickard, Abdul Karim, Edith M. Chase, Maryam A. Ghani, M. Fathulla Khan, M. Wali Khan, Mushir Hosain Kidwai, B. M. K. Lodi, N. C. Mehta, Syed Muzaffar-ud-Din Nadvi, R. S. Nehra, Khalid Sheldrake, M. Z. Siddiqi, C. A. Soorma, T. L. Vaswani, A. C. A. Wadood, H. G. Wells, Kenneth Williams.

Date ended: 
01 Jan 1967
Archive source: 

Islamic Review, SV 503, British Library, St Pancras

Precise date ended unknown: 
Y

Location

149 Oriental Road
Woking, GU22 7AN
United Kingdom

Said Amir Shah

About: 

Said Amir Shah was a London-based silk merchant and warehouseman. He ran a business with his brother Fazal Shah on White Church Lane, and held a shop at 36 Montague Street. He also worked as a contractor for film companies, finding Indians (predominantly former lascars and hawkers) for crowd scenes, and in 1942 founded a company named Shah Film Corporation with John Kartar Singh and Herbert Bundy as his co-directors. A highly resourceful individual, during his time in Britain Shah was involved in a number of anti-colonial organizations and activities. Indeed, V. K. Krishna Menon reportedly cultivated Shah because of his connections, especially with working-class Indians in the East End of London.

Government officials first became aware of Shah through his involvement with the London branch of the Indian National Congress in the 1930s. After a brief period of involvement with the East End branch of Menon’s India League, he went on to become a prominent figure in the Committee of Indian Congressmen (led by Amiya Nath Bose and Pulin Behari Seal), under whose auspices he created an Indian National Muslim Committee which was strongly anti-Pakistan. He also aided lascars in their struggle for workers’ rights, acting as a court interpreter for those involved in criminal cases, and was an active member of the Hindustani Social Club.

In addition, Shah was a leading figure in the Jamiat-ul-Muslimin; in the 1940s he held the post of treasurer, and, according to government reports, he was responsible for opening various provincial branches of the organization in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. Shah campaigned for a mosque to serve the Muslim community in the East End of London, and was instrumental in the foundation of the East London Mosque in 1941. He made a speech at its inauguration ceremony, and played a leading role in its management and affairs subsquently. He was the main agitator on behalf of the Jamiat-ul-Muslimin in its struggle against the trustees for control over the mosque in 1943.

Example: 

L/PJ/12/468, India Office Records, African and Asian Studies Reading Room, British Library, St Pancras, pp. 278-80

Content: 

This Indian Political Intelligence file comprises documentation and correspondence relating to Indian Muslim organizations and activity in Britain during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. It includes reports on the activities and establishment of mosques in London, including the Shah Jahan Mosque, the East London Mosque, and the Regent’s Park Mosque.

Connections: 

Ayub Ali (through East London Mosque), Surat Alley (through Hindustani Social Club), Mulk Raj Anand (through Hindustani Social Club), Tarapadu Basu (attended Jamiat protest meeting against ELM trustees), Amiya Nath Bose (through Committee of Indian Congressmen), G. S. Dara (accountant for Shah Bros), Dr Dutt (through India League), Sir Ernest Hotson (through East London Mosque), Kundan Lal Jalie (through East End connections), C. L. Katial (through India League), Kalundar Amirullah Khan (through Committee of Indian Congressmen), Sahibdad Khan (through East London Mosque, Jamiat-ul-Muslimin and Hindustani Social Club), V. K. Krishna Menon (through India League), Firoz Khan Noon (through East London Mosque), Hassan Nachat Pasha (Egyptian Ambassador – through East London Mosque), Ahmed Din Qureshi (through Hindustani Social Club), S. M. Sayeedulla (through East London Mosque), Pulin Behari Seal (through Committee of Indian Congressmen, Krishnarao Shelvankar (through Jamiat and ELM dispute), I. G. P. Singh (attended Jamiat protest meeting against ELM trustees), John Kartar Singh (formed Shah Film Corporation with Shah, and through Hindustani Social Club), Hassan Suhrawardy (through the East London Mosque), Sir Frederick Sykes (through East London Mosque), C. B. Vakil (through India League).

Shah Film Corporation

Precise DOB unknown: 
Y
Extract: 

It is now clear that from 1941 onwards, SHAH has been trying to work himself up to a position of leadership in Moslem circles in this country. It is highly improbable that he has any religious motives in the matter, but desires to strengthen his hand as uncrowned king amongst Indian merchants, peddlers and seamen in the East End and in Provincial towns. In October 1941, when the East London Mosque was opened, he commented to the effect that it was not the Mosque he wanted, but it would have its uses. Shortly afterwards he was one of two members of the Jamiat-ul-Muslimin co-opted onto the Board of Trustees of the Mosque and the Mosque Fund, and thereafter campaigned strenuously to obtain control, through the Jamiat-ul-Muslimin, of the Mosque and the Fund.

Relevance: 

First, this extract points to the fact that Muslim South Asians in Britain during the early twentieth century identified in terms of their religious faith as well as in terms of a broader Indian identity. Further, it suggests the presence of a burgeoning Muslim working-class community in the East End of London – a precursor to the significant Bangladeshi community that inhabits the area today. Finally, Shah’s connections with and leadership of ‘Indian merchants, peddlers and seamen’ coupled with his involvement with the Jamiat-ul-Muslimin and the East London Mosque suggest an intersection of the political and religious spheres for Muslims in 1940s Britain – and an attempt on Shah’s part to mobilize this community for the right to practise their faith within the public sphere.

Archive source: 

L/PJ/12/455, India Office Records, Asian and Afridan Studies Reading Room, British Library, St Pancras

L/PJ/12/468, India Office Records, Asian and African Studies Reading Room, British Library, St Pancras

L/PJ/12/646, India Office Records, Asian and African Studies Reading Room, British Library, St Pancras

Involved in events: 

Inauguration of the East London Mosque, 1941

Dispute between the Jamiat-ul-Muslimin and the Board of Trustees of the East London Mosque, 1943

Opening of the East End branch of the India League, 1943

City of birth: 
Amritsar, Punjab
Country of birth: 
India

Locations

Montague Street
London, EC2Y 8BB
United Kingdom
51° 31' 3.3312" N, 0° 5' 52.818" W
White Church Lane
London, E1 7QR
United Kingdom
51° 30' 55.7388" N, 0° 4' 8.1732" W
Precise date of death unknown: 
Y
Dates of time spent in Britain: 

1930s - 1940s

Gottlieb Leitner

About: 

G. W. Leitner was a Jewish educationist. He moved to London in about 1858 having studied Islam in Constantinopole. He studied divinity at King's College London and then taught Arabic, Turkish and modern Greek. In 1864 Leitner was appointed principal of the Government College at Lahore, and spent the next fifteen years in India. He helped to raise money to transform the Government College into the Oriental University of the Punjab. He founded a number of schools, societies, established journals in India and wrote a number of travelogues.

In 1881, Leitner returned to England. In 1883 he established the Oriental Institute in Woking. This teaching institute also contained an Oriental Museum and a notable art collection. In 1896 Leitner began to edit the Asiatic Review from the Institute. In 1889, the Shah Jahan Mosque was established in the Institute, with a bequest from Shah Jahan, the begum of Bhopal.

Published works: 

History of Indigenous Education in the Panjab since Annexation and in 1882 (Patiala: Languages Dept., Panjab, 1871)

Introduction to a Philosophical Grammar of Arabic (Lahore: Indian Public Opinion, 1871)

Sinin-i-Islam: Being a Sketch of the History and Literature of Muhammadanism, and their Place in Universal History (Lahore: Indian Public Opinion, 1871-6)

The Theory and Practice of Education, with Special Reference to Education in India (Lahore: s.n., 1871)

Native Self-Government in Matters of Education (London: East India Association, 1875)

A Detailed Analysis of Abdul Ghafur's Dictionary of the Terms used by Criminal Tribes in the Panjab (Lahore: Punjab Govt. Civil Secretariat Press, 1880)

Kafiristan: the Bashgeli Kafirs and their Language (Lahore: Dilbagroy, 1880)

Indigenous Elements of Self-Government in India, with Special Reference to the Panjab and more particularly in Matters of Education (London: East India Association, 1884)

On the Sciences of Language and of Ethnography with Special Reference to the Language and Customs of the People of Hunza (London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1890)

Dardistan in 1886, 1889, and 1893 (Woking: Oriental University Institute, 1893)

The Hunza and Nagyr Handbook: Being an Introduction to a Knowledge of the Language, Race, and Countries of Hunza, Nagyr, and a part of Yasin (Woking: Oriental University Institute, 1893)

Dardistan in 1895 (Woking: Oriental University Institute, 1895)

Date of birth: 
15 Sep 1840
Secondary works: 

Rubinstein, W. D., ‘Leitner , Gottlieb Wilhelm (1840–1899)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2009) [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/51109]

Archive source: 

Correspondence with Lord Kimberley, Bodleian Library, Oxford

City of birth: 
Pest
Country of birth: 
Hungary
Other names: 

Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner

Date of death: 
22 Mar 1899
Location of death: 
Bonn, Germany
Tags for Making Britain: 

Jamiat-ul-Muslimin

About: 

The Jamiat-ul-Muslimin, based at the East London Mosque, was a charitable society for the promotion of Islam, founded in 1934. It membership consisted predominantly of working-class lascars, peddlers and other workers who inhabited the East End of London. The Jamiat’s stated objectives were: ‘To serve the cause of Islam truly and practically by creating facilities for the observance of its Principles: to produce a weekly paper…to collect funds for a Mosque in the East End of London: to provide for the training and education of Muslims generally; to succour poor and needy Muslims: to promote social intercourse between resident Muslims and visitors to this country and generally to adopt all practical and legitimate means to work for the moral, intellectual and economic advancement of Muslims throughout the world’ (L/PJ/12/468). Thus, its objectives combined faith with the social and political. The organization first came to notice by government authorities in 1938 when it staged a protest against H. G. WellsA Short History of the World. The Jamiat organized a march to India House, Aldwych, where a deputation presented a petition to the High Commissioner for India, Firoz Khan Noon.

Before the establishment of the East London Mosque in 1941, the organization’s members would gather and worship at King’s Hall in Commercial Road. The Jamiat played a key role in the establishment, inauguration and management of the mosque. In 1943 they were involved in a dispute with the trustees of the mosque, claiming that they should have ultimate control over its management and affairs. There were also active branches of the Jamiat in Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham. 

Secondary works: 

Visram, Rozina, Asians in Britain: 400 Years of History (London: Pluto, 2002)

Date began: 
01 Jan 1934
Precise date began unknown: 
Y
Key Individuals' Details: 

Dr Mohammed Buksh (original president), Allah Dad Khan (salesman and original treasurer), Sahibdur Khan (secretary of the Jamiat), K. Z. Lazhesar, Ghulam Mohammed (silk merchant and co-secretary), Mr Nakitullah, Ahmad Din Quereshi (silk merchant original co-secretary), Fazal Shah (leading figure in Jamiat, president of Hindustan Social Club and brother of Said Amir Shah), Said Amir Shah (treasurer of the Jamiat), Laj Mohamed Shank.

Connections: 
Archive source: 

File IOR: L/PJ/12/468, African and Asian Studies Reading Room, British Library, St Pancras

File IOR: L/PJ/12/646, African and Asian Studies Reading Room, British Library, St Pancras

Locations

59 Canton Street Poplar
London, E14 6ES
United Kingdom
30 Church Lane Whitechapel
London, E1 7QR
United Kingdom
Involved in events details: 

Inauguration of the East London Mosque, 1 August 1941

Dispute with the trustees of the East London Mosque and bid for ultimate control over its management and affairs, October 1943

William H. Quilliam

About: 

William Quilliam founded the Liverpool Mosque and Muslim Institute in 1891. He had converted to Islam in 1887. In 1894, the Ottoman Emperor declared Quilliam the Sheikh-ul-Islam of Britain.

Date of birth: 
10 Apr 1856
Secondary works: 

Guilford, John, ‘Quilliam, William Henry (1856–1932)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press 2004) [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/73031]

Visram, Rozina, Asians in Britain: 400 Years of History (London: Pluto, 2002)

City of birth: 
Liverpool
Country of birth: 
Britain
Other names: 

Sheikh Abdullah Quilliam, Haroon Mustapha Leon

Date of death: 
23 Apr 1932
Location of death: 
London
Location: 

Liverpool, Isle of Man, London.

Tags for Making Britain: 

Abdul Majid

About: 

Abdul Majid was the Imam of the Shah Jahan Mosque, Woking, and an editor of the Islamic Review.

Location: 

Woking

Tags for Making Britain: 

Khwaja Kamaluddin

About: 

Grandson of the poet and judge Khwaja Abdur Rasheed, eminent lawyer and Islamic scholar Khwaja Kamaluddin was born in Punjab in 1870. In 1893, he graduated from Forman Christian College in Lahore where he was drawn to Christianity before becoming inspired by the writings of the founder of the Ahmidyaa Movement. Kamaluddin worked as a lecturer and then as principal of Islamia College, Lahore, then graduated in law in 1898 and started a legal practice in Peshawar. He wrote extensively on Islam, and delivered lectures across the Indian subcontinent, also raising funds for Aligarh University.

Kamaluddin travelled to Britain in 1912 to pursue a legal case on behalf of a client. He settled in Kingston and gave his first British public talk on Islam at Speaker's Corner, Hyde Park. Soon afterwards, he took control of the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking with the support of Syed Ameer Ali, Sir Abbas Ali Beg and Sir Thomas Arnold. He established the Woking Muslim Mission and Literary Trust there, as well as the journal The Islamic Review (1913-67) through which he and other contributors sought to counter misconceptions about Islam among the British. During his time in Britain, he delivered several lectures, including at Cambridge University and the Lyceum Club, on topics such as the comparative merits of Islam and Christianity and the position of women in Islam. He also oversaw several conversions at the Shah Jahan Mosque.

In 1914 Kamaluddin returned to India, remaining there for two years then travelling between India and Britain for the next few years. Throughout this time, he remained concerned with the problems faced by Muslims in India as well as with perceptions of Islam in Britain. He was elected member of the League of Nations Union in 1923, the same year that he performed hajj with the convert Lord Headley. He died in 1922.

Published works: 

The Ideal Prophet

Sources of Christianity

Islam to East and West

Jesus and Traditional Christianity

Running Commentary on the Qur'an

Islam My Only Choice

Date of birth: 
01 Jan 1870
Connections: 

Lord Headley, Gottlieb Leitner, Syed Ameer Ali, Sir Mirza Abbas Ali Beg (Muslim advisory member of the Council of the Secretary State for India), Sir Thomas Arnold.

Contributions to periodicals: 

The Islamic Review (organ of the Shah Jahan Mosque)

Precise DOB unknown: 
Y
Secondary works: 

Ahmad, Nasir, Eid Sermons at the Shah Jahan Mosque, Woking, England, 1931-1940 (Lahore: Aftab-ud-Din Memorial Benevolent Trust, nd)

Salamat, Muslim, P., A Miracle in Woking: A History of the Shahjahan Mosque (Chichester: Phillimore & Co., 2008)

Archive source: 

The Islamic Review, 1913-1967

City of birth: 
Lahore
Country of birth: 
India
Current name city of birth: 
Lahore
Current name country of birth: 
Pakistan
Other names: 

Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din

Location

The Shah Jahan Mosque, Woking
149 Oriental Road
Woking, GU22 7AN
United Kingdom
51° 19' 19.2612" N, 0° 32' 38.0076" W
Date of death: 
28 Dec 1932
Precise date of death unknown: 
N
Date of 1st arrival in Britain: 
01 Jan 1912
Precise 1st arrival date unknown: 
Y
Location: 

The Shah Jahan Mosque, Woking

Tags for Making Britain: 

Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi

About: 

Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi was born in a village in Sylhet, the eldest of three brothers and a sister. His father was forced to sell his land after spending much of his income on educating his sons, and the family lived in impoverished circumstances. To escape a life of hardship and help his family, Qureshi decided to follow the example of many of his fellow Sylhetis and try to get work on a ship with a view to migrating to America or Britain. With this in mind, he left for Calcutta in 1934. After various failed attempts, he finally managed to escape from a ship docked at Tilbury, making his way to east London where he found lodgings with other recently arrived Sylhetis.

Qureshi began his working life in Britain selling chocolates in pubs. He soon moved on to working in various Indian restaurants (including the Bengal Restaurant in Percy Street) and, in 1938, opened his first restaurant, Dilkush Delight, in Windmill Street, Soho. By 1944, he owned a different restaurant off Charlotte Street. This became known as the 'India Centre' because numerous politically active South Asians congregated there for meetings. During this period, Qureshi himself became involved in political and welfare activities concerning the South Asian community in London. He was an active member of the Hindustani Social Club and co-founder (with Ayub Ali) and President of the Indian Seamen's Welfare League. He also attended some India League meetings. A Muslim, Qureshi worshipped at the East London Mosque and helped form the London Muslim League with Abbas Ali.

Qureshi married on his first return trip to Sylhet in 1946 and eventually, in the 1970s, brought his wife and children to England where the family remained.

Example: 

Adams, Caroline, Across Seven Seas and Thirteen Rivers (London: THAP, 1987), pp. 140–77

Date of birth: 
25 Sep 1915
Content: 

This is a transcript of an oral narrative by Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi in which he recounts his reasons for migration to Britain and the conditions and events of his life after migration.

Connections: 

Abbas Ali, Ayub Ali, Mushraf Ali, Taslim Ali (early pioneer of facilities for Muslims in Britain), Surat Alley, Syed Tofussil Ally, Mulk Raj Anand (both attended inaugural meeting of East End branch of India League), B. B. Ray Chaudhuri (on the executive committee of the Indian Seamen's Welfare League), Abdul Hamid (barrister and involved with Indian Seamen's Welfare League), Kundan Lal Jalie, Krishna Menon, Narayana Menon (both attended inaugural meeting of East End branch of India League), Mr Nandev (helped him out with restaurant), Mr Rahim and Mr Yassim (original owners of Shafi’s Restaurant), Said Amir Shah (both attended inaugural meeting of East End branch of India League), Maharaja of Siraikullah (served him and his party at restaurant), Dr C. B. Vakil (on the executive committee of the Indian Seamen's Welfare League).

Extract: 

In 1938, I saved enough to open my own restaurant - in Windmill Street. I can claim that I was the first Sylhetti man to own a restaurant...At that time most of the customers were Indians...We used to get English customers too - those English people who had been in the Indian Civil Service and all that...Then the student community from Bengal, they started coming, because they knew that they wouldn't have any worry for shelter, and they could find work as waiters, and at the same time they used to take admission in the Law Institutes, or in any institution. Students from all Bengal - East and West, Hindu and Muslim. So all the credit goes to that fellow who started the restaurants.

Secondary works: 

Adams, Caroline, Across Seven Seas and Thirteen Rivers (London: THAP, 1987)

Visram, Rozina, Asians in Britain: 400 Years of History (London: Pluto, 2002)

 

Relevance: 

The above extract emphasizes the pioneering work of early working-class South Asian migrants and how they impacted on British culture through the establishment of South Asian restaurants which, even in this early period, were frequented by the British as well as by South Asians. It also hints at the cross-class interactions among South Asians (waiters and students) and at the role of Indian restaurants as community meeting places where people congregated to socialize and sometimes to mobilize politically. The fact that the two restaurants owned by Qureshi were in Soho indicates the presence of working-class South Asians in the very heart of London.

Archive source: 

L/PJ/12/455, India Office Records, Asian and African Studies Reading Room, British Library, St Pancras

L/PJ/12/630, India Office Records, Asian and African Studies Reading Room, British Library, St Pancras

L/PJ/12/646, India Office Records, Asian and African Studies Reading Room, British Library, St Pancras

Involved in events: 

 Attended Indian Seamen’s Welfare League meetings

 Attended Hindustani Social Club meetings and events

City of birth: 
Patli-Qureshbari, Jaganathpur, Sylhet
Country of birth: 
India
Current name country of birth: 
Bangladesh
Other names: 

Moina Meah

Locations

Percy Street
London, W1T 2DA
United Kingdom
51° 31' 6.006" N, 0° 8' 0.6072" W
Dilkush Delight
Windmill Street
London, W1T 2JU
United Kingdom
51° 31' 8.0904" N, 0° 8' 1.194" W
Date of 1st arrival in Britain: 
01 Jan 1936
Precise 1st arrival date unknown: 
Y
Dates of time spent in Britain: 

1936-46, 19??-67, 1975/6-

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