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Credits
Design by Daniel Teague
www.danielteague.co.uk
info@danielteague.co.uk
Written by Jennie Vickers and Jackie Ould-Okojie, Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust
The History of Yemenis in Britain and in Eccles was contributed by Dr. Mohammed Seddon,
University of Chester and was previously published in LifeTimes Link, Issue no 15, June
November 2004, page 10, reproduced with kind permission of LifeTimes Link and Salford
Museum and Art Gallery.
An account of Yemeni cuisine was contributed by Mohamed Alnomire.
An account of cooking in a Yemeni home was contributed by Lesley Sutton. Lesley also
provided information and photographs used in several other pages.
The page on women’s clothing was contributed by Jauharah Salim.
Published by Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust, J Floor, Sackville Building, University of
Manchester, Sackville Street, Manchester M60 1QD
www.racearchive.org.uk
rrarchive@manchester.ac.uk
The Yemeni Roots, Salford Lives project and this publication were made possible by a grant
from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Trust is also grateful for continued financial support from
Manchester City Council and the University of Manchester.
Photographs © individual contributors.
Historic images reproduced with kind permission of Salford Local Studies Library.
Quotations throughout © individual contributors.
Introduction
This book was created by the Yemeni Roots, Salford Lives project, a partnership between
the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust, the Yemeni Community Association of Eccles and the
University of Salford. The project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
At the heart of the project was a collection of life-story interviews with members of the Yemeni
community in Eccles. This community stretches back to the 1950s. We collected interviews
from a few of those remaining of the first settlers plus people in the next two generations, to
create a record of what their life in Greater Manchester has been like. We were particularly
interested in the hidden history of the efforts of the Yemeni community to maintain a distinct
cultural identity whilst also being a part of the larger society around them. The Yemenis were
involved in some important ‘firsts’ – the creation of the mosque on Liverpool Road among
them.
The life-story interviews for this project were collected by Jennie Vickers. Alongside YCA
community development worker Jauharah Salim, Jennie also created a mini-project with a
girls group in Eccles, to explore the views and experiences of some of the young people in
today’s Yemeni community.
A major objective for the project was to help the YCA create a community website. This website
is easily accessible on www.yca-manchester.org.uk and contains some audio extracts from
the life-story interviews, to add to the themed quotes contained in later pages in this book.
This book starts with some basic facts about the country this community originates from: the
Republic of Yemen. There are pages of information about the culture and traditions in the
community, including a section on Yemeni food. Dr Mohammed Seddon of the University of
Chester contributed the brief history of Yemenis in Britain and of the community in Eccles.
This introduction is followed by themed pages containing further information and interview
quotes about: coming to England; building the community; working life; education; leisure
time; the place of faith in the community, and identity and belonging. There is also a page
contributed by the youth group. Several activity sheets are included, for those who might like
to find out more or try out some Yemeni traditions.
Jackie Ould, Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust, November 2012
Producers:
Funding Bodies:
Yemen p.i
Foreword
Despite the fact that Yemenis have lived in the UK since the mid-19th century and in Salford
since the 1950s as a settled community, they seem invisible in the eyes of many in the
contemporary wider society. Although this work is focused on the life of Yemenis in Salford, it
also reflects the lives of Yemenis in the whole UK.
The purpose of this work is to present the life of Yemenis in Salford as it is, without sugarcoating. Just simple and true.
Our intention is to provide a basic overview of the history of Yemenis in Salford as given in
the stories and interviews.
It is hoped that this work will shed a light on the Yemeni community, its contribution and
sacrifice to the wider society, and the significant role Yemenis have in shaping today’s multicultural Great Britain.
We also hope this work will dispel any misconceptions people may have about Yemen &
Yemenis due to the negative and false portrait of Yemen & Yemenis in today’s media.
The more communities know about each other, the easier it is for them to live together, but
knowledge alone is not enough, what is needed is to know and to understand.
Gadri Audhali
December 2012
Yemeni Community Association of Manchester
1 Gladstone Road, Eccles, Manchester, M30 0WY
Tel: 0161 707 7012
www.Yca-manchester.org.uk
Registered Charity: 1117050
Yemen p.ii
Contents
Basic Facts About Yemen
p1-4
Activity Sheet: Flags of the Arab World
p.5
Activity Sheet: Make your own Qamariya
p.6-7
Yemeni Communities in Britain
p.8-11
Activity Sheet: Design your own Henna Patterns
p.12
Food and Yemeni Culture
p.13-14
A Brief History of Yemenis in Britain
p.15
The Yemenis of Eccles
p.16
Coming to England
p.17-18
Building the Community in Eccles
p.19-21
Working Lives
p.22-24
Leisure Time
p.25-26
Faith in Our Lives
p.27-28
Learning & Opportunity
p.29-30
Identity & Belonging
p.31-32
Eccles Then and Now
p.33-34
Tea Recipe
p.35
Yemen p.iii
Acknowledgements
I would like first to thank present and former members of the Board of the Yemeni Community Association in
Eccles for participating in the community steering group of this project. They have been essential in shaping
the direction of the project, opening pathways into their community and carrying responsibility for spreading the
word, hosting events, organising food and many other activities that have made the project possible:
Anis Ahmed, Amiradin Ahmed, Yusuf Bagail, Salah Kassim and Mohammed Mohsin
Special thanks to steering group member and YCA chairman Gadri Audhali and to YCA Community Development
Worker, Jauharah Salim for their constant, invaluable and essential support and assistance.
Harriet Morgan-Shami (University of Salford) helped form the project in the beginning, and has particularly
supported the Art Reminiscence strand delivered by Lesley Sutton to ladies in the community. Lesley’s wonderful
photographs are present throughout this book and in the e-book created from the project.
Dr Mohammad Seddon (University of Chester) has provided information, photos and encouragement
throughout.
Thanks to volunteers, Kelly Waterhouse, Hazel Bowden, Anna Fielding and Caroline Smith for transcribing the
interviews and tracking down paper records in various libraries. Thank you to ‘Opening Up Archives’ trainee,
Alison Kennedy, for working on interview quotes for the website, and our display for the 2012 Manchester
Histories Festival.
Emma Britain (Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust) has maintained all financial records painstakingly ensuring
the accounting was up-to-date throughout the project as well as providing advice and help on every level.
Jennie Vickers has been an inspirational project worker, quietly and steadfastly winning the community’s trust
to conduct interviews, ensuring the success of the website, leading the youth project, and leading on the design
of the poster output and our final exhibition. It has been a pleasure working with you.
Finally thanks to all community members who have contributed their memories and thoughts to the project:
Mukbil Ahmed
Saida Ahmed
Saleh Algedanar
Mohamed Alnomire
Gadri Audhali
Atteager Audhali
Yusuf Bagail
Miriam Baobeid
Tina Hassan
Aziz Hussain
Mohamed Abdul Kader
Fatima Kasseum
Muckbill Saeed Kassim
Mohammed Saif
To Persons A,B,C,D,E and F, who preferred to remain anonymous
To the ladies in the Art Reminiscence Group
And finally to the members of the youth group: Sumaya Saleh, Tasneem Saleh, Yasmeen Saleh, Abeer Abdorab,
Amal Abdorab and Hybah Qaderi.
J.O.
Yemen p.iv
Basic Facts About Yemen
Country Name:
Republic of Yemen, commonly known as Yemen
Capital City:
Sana’a
Official Language:Arabic
Currency:
Rial
Religion:
Islam, with small numbers of Jewish, Christian & Hindu
Population:
24,771,809 (July 2012)
Geography:
The Republic of Yemen is a country of the Middle East. It is in the Arabian Peninsula, bordered
by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the north and the Sultanate of Oman in the east. Yemen’s
southern and western borders are coastal: the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden (Indian Ocean)
in the south, the Red Sea in the west.
Yemen is a country of mountains, desert and coastal plains. The fierce desert of the east is
known as ‘the Empty Quarter’. Yemen has no major rivers meaning that water resources are
limited. Yemen also has islands that have their own climate, vegetation and wildlife, the most
famous being Socotra.
Yemen 01
Economy:
Yemen has oil and natural gas resources. Its economy is very dependent on crude oil
production and petroleum refining. Other industrial production includes cotton textiles, leather
goods and food processing. From the fertile soil in the west, agricultural products include
grain, fruit, vegetables, coffee, cotton and qat. Livestock include sheep, goats, cattle, camels
and poultry. Fishing is also a part of the economy.
50 rials - Shibam, Hadramout
100 rials - TawilaTanks, Crater near Aden
1000 rials - Palace of Say’un, Hadramout
Recent History:
North Yemen was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1918. It was ruled by Imams until a coup in
1962 proclaimed it the ‘Yemen Arab Republic’ but the country suffered continued civil unrest.
The southern coastal area around the port of Aden was colonized by Britain in 1839 and ruled
as a British protectorate until a struggle for independence led to the establishment of the
‘People’s Republic of Southern Yemen’ in 1967. The south became the only Marxist state in
the Arab world and there were many years of hostilities between the two states. In May 1990,
the two countries were unified to form the new nation: The Republic of Yemen.
Yemen 02
The Flag:
The flag of the Republic of Yemen is made of three equal horizontal bands of red, white and
black. These colours stem from the Arab Liberation flag and stand for oppression (black)
overcome through bloody struggle (red) leading to a brighter future (white). The flag and coat
of arms were adopted on 22 May 1990, at the union of South Yemen and North Yemen.
see Flag Worksheet on Page 05
Culture & Heritage:
Yemen has ancient roots and retains a rich architectural heritage: for example, the walled city
of Shibam was registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982. There are sustained
traditions in poetry, song and dancing. There are also decorative art traditions such as silver
jewellery, embroidered garments, hand-woven textiles and unique architectural décor such
as stained glass windows.
Yemen 03
The Qamariya:
The qamariya are multi-coloured stained glass windows found on old buildings in the capital
city of Yemen, Sana’a. These windows include geometric patterns formed with coloured glass
that sit above main windows. They let dots of coloured light into the rooms. This architecture
dates back to pre-Islamic times and the name comes from the word qamar, meaning moon.
source: www.calesyemen.com (Centre for Arabic Language and Eastern Studies, Sana’a)
Qamariya
“making a stained glass window.”
The ancient capital city of Sana’a includes these qamariya in the old buildings that have given
it the nickname of the ‘gingerbread city’. The Yemeni Community Association has a model of
these buildings:
Yemen 04
Activity
Try This!
Flags of the Arab World
The flag of the Republic of Yemen contains three equal bands of red (top) white
(middle) and black (base). These colours are taken from the Arab Liberation flag
and can also be seen in the flags of many other Arabic-speaking countries.
Find out what the colours stand for:
Red stands for
____________________________________________
White stands for ____________________________________________
Black stands for ____________________________________________
The flags of Egypt, Iraq, Sudan and Syria are very similar.
Egypt
Iraq
Choose one of these flags
Describe what is different about it and find out the meaning of that different
element in the flag.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Yemen 05
Activity
Try This!
Make your own Qamariya (Stained Glass Windows)
Use the template to make a stained glass window frame.
Method 1: Acetate and tissue paper
This is a simple method for younger children.
Instructions for teachers: Give the children a copy of the window template cut
out of card and a sheet of acetate cut a little larger than the window. Glue or
tape the acetate to the back of the template. Provide small squares of different
coloured tissue paper and gluesticks.
Instructions for children:
1. Use a gluestick and spread glue all over the acetate (Not on the side with
the card-frame).
2. Stick the pieces of tissue paper all over the acetate.
3. Turn it over and hang it in a sunny window. You have made your own stained
glass window.
Method 2: Tissue paper and PVA glue
This gives a translucent effect but requires a large amount of PVA glue.
Instructions for teachers: Give the children a sheet of acetate cut a little larger
than the window template but keep the window template back till later. Provide
small squares of different coloured tissue paper and lots of PVA. Cover your
tables as this activity is messy!
Instructions for children:
1. Spread a thick layer of PVA all over the acetate.
2. Stick the squares of different coloured tissue paper all over the PVA on the
acetate. Don’t leave any gaps.
3. When you have completely covered with tissue paper, add another thick layer
of PVA on top of the tissue. Smooth it on carefully so you don’t disturb the
tissue paper.
4. Leave it to dry. (This will take a long time.)
5. When the glue is completely dry, carefully peel the ‘stained glass’ (PVA and
tissue) off the acetate.
6. Attach the ‘stained glass’ to the back of the frame and hang it in a sunny
window.
Yemen 06
Activity
Try This!
Make your own Qamariya (Stained Glass Windows)
Use this template to make a stained glass window frame.
Cut out the grey and use the red colour as the card template.
Yemen 07
Yemeni Communities In Britain
Maintaining Cultural Traditions
Yemeni people in Britain work hard to hold on to their cultural traditions. This includes the
clothes people wear, the use of henna body-art, the styles of furnishings and decoration that
are often found in British Yemeni homes and the cooking and recipes usually served.
Men’s Clothing
Traditionally, Yemeni men wear either a long white shirt called a Thawb, or they wear a Futa:
this is a length of cloth wrapped around the waist. There is a headscarf to protect the head
from the sun. The traditional clothing includes an Arabic curved dagger called a Jambiyah,
carried in a scabbard and tucked into their belt. The men will usually wear this clothing when
they perform their traditional dances.
These photos show how the male headscarf is wrapped:
Yemen 08
Women’s Clothing
The clothing of Yemeni women varies from region to region in style and pattern. It includes
colourful robes, shawls, and veils. It is the custom for Yemeni women to dress with modesty
according to their religion and culture. For outdoors, women tend to be conservative. Clothing
can be of different colours, however many chose to wear darker shades. Choice of clothing
will often include an Islamic style headscarf known as a Hijab, together with modern western
clothing such as jeans, skirts, dresses and anything that can be worn loosely and comfortably
concealing her body shape and any skin except her hands and face.
Many Yemeni ladies in the UK chose to wear the long flowing Abaya’s that are often brought
over from the Yemen or other Arab countries. An Abaya can be simple and without pattern or
detail and can also be very detailed with coloured sequins, gems and elaborate embroidery.
When occasions are in a private and women-only environment, Yemeni women can dress
however they wish. Traditional Yemeni clothes are often bright and women love to create a
whole outfit of matching hair accessories, jewellery and shoes. Women’s clothing ranges
from up-to-date Yemeni fashion and modern western fashion. Yemeni women are trend and
fashion conscious and ‘ladies-only’ functions are their chance to have fun and become very
glamorous.
By Jauharah Salim
Yemen 09
Body-art with Henna
Women and girls from about the age of 6 years, have their hands decorated with henna for
special occasions such as weddings and Eid. This tradition is very common to countries in
North and East Africa, South Asia and the Middle East. In Yemen, women wear henna for
many occasions, much more than they do here in England, using the very simple technique
of a circle on the palm of the hand and dipped fingertips.
Arabic patterns tend to be less elaborate than Asian patterns for everyday use but are highly
decorative for weddings. For a bride, the henna decoration can cover the full length of her
arms, legs and patterns to the back and the chest. A special henna is used in Yemen: a strong
black dye known as Khidab, made from oak-gall, a hard brown ball that is burnt in a covered
container and then ground to a powder and mixed with oil and water to create a strong ink.
Traditionally, the Khidab was applied using a large acacia-thorn.
Most henna comes from the leaves of a small tree which grows in hot dry climates including
India, Pakistan, Iran, Yemen and Morocco. The leaves are ground up and produce a strong
dye when mixed with lemon and tea into a paste that is the same thickness as toothpaste.
Henna artists work freehand squeezing the henna paste through a plastic cone like an icing
bag into beautiful decorative patterns. It can also be applied over stencils. The paste is left
to dry and then the crust is picked off, leaving a dyed pattern on the skin that will last for up
to four weeks.
Henna comes in shades from pale orange to black and the darkest dye comes from fresh
henna from very hot climates. Henna only stains the outer layer of skin: it is not pierced into
the skin like a tattoo and applying it does not hurt and is not dangerous although care needs
to be taken if people have sensitivities to some ingredients.
Yemen 10
Furniture and Décor
In Yemen every house has a big room called a Diwan that traditionally has long cushioned
floor seats around the walls. The walls of homes in Yemen are often decorated with elaborate
coloured cloths. Many of the Yemeni homes in Eccles have recreated the idea of this room.
Special furniture has been shipped over from either Yemen or Saudi Arabia to create very
sumptuous lounges with traditional Arabic decorations. Curtains are rich and full and can be
elaborately draped. This is the best room in the house and is used on special occasions. For
weddings the room is often decorated with plastic or silk flowers too. As almost all British
Yemenis are Muslim, the room will often include Islamic inscriptions, and commemorative
objects from the Hajj, such as models of the Kaaba, as well as traditional craft objects brought
from Yemen.
Yemen 11
Activity
Try This!
Design your own Henna Patterns
First draw around your hand on paper, making sure you spread out your fingers.
It’s easier to start with a pencil and then go over your design ideas with a fine
felt pen.
When drawing your design, think of your hand in sections: the fingers, the back
of the hand, the wrist.
Patterns on the fingers usually include small flowers and leaves, wavy lines,
small tear drops, stars and points that emphasise the length of the fingers.
Patterns on the back of the hand, which is the only big open area you are
working on, can include a pattern that swirls from the fingers down to the wrist.
Or they can start in the centre of the hand in a design that moves outwards – like
a flower with circles, spirals and squiggles added.
On the wrist, you could draw from one side of the hand to the other, using similar
designs to those on the fingers.
Look at these designs by girls in the Yemeni community to get some ideas. You
can also find more detailed design ideas at:
www.art-is-fun.com/henna-hand-designs.html
Drawings by: Tasmeen Saleh, Sumaya Saleh and Jauharah Salim
Yemen 12
Food and Yemeni Culture
Yemeni cuisine includes meat dishes of mildly spiced lamb and chicken, and
occasionally beef. People eat fish in the coastal areas. Vegetables are often cooked in
with the meat. Rice and flat breads are served to accompany the main course. There
are regional variations but Saltah is considered the national dish: this is a meat stew
with a dollop of fenugreek froth served with a salsa of chillis, garlic, tomatoes and
herbs known as Sahawiq.
Many Yemeni dishes are flavoured with a blend of spices known as Hawayej, made from
black peppercorns, cumin seeds, green cardamom pods, cloves and turmeric.
Mr Mohamed Alnomire describes the history of the food served in Yemeni restaurants:
“
“Hadramout is a Yemeni city with a rich heritage and is famed for Islamic scholars and
knowledge. The land is known as the cradle of civilisation built by its inhabitants in
Ancient times. It features stunning architectural art that still exists in the city of Shibam,
which saw the first skyscrapers in the world built with mud.
The population of Hadramout greatly influenced the spread of Yemeni dishes such as
Mandi , Kabsah and Madhbi. Over centuries, Hadhrami food became famous in the
Arab world, especially in the Arabian peninsula and Yemeni cuisine has also spread to
Africa and Southeast Asia and more recently to America, Australia and Europe.
Mandi and Kabsah date their origins back to the city of Hadramout. Fahsa and Saltah
are Yemeni dishes that originated over a hundred years ago in the north of Yemen.
Fahsa, which is a dish of shredded meat and vegetables, is more from the North of
Yemen, in Sana’a, and reflects the Turkish influences on Yemeni food.
In our tradition we eat with our hand, and we use flat bread to scoop up the food. Some
people like to eat the traditional way where everyone takes from a shared plate while
sitting on an Arabic Majlis (low sofa).”
Yemen is famous for its coffee, grown on hillside terraced farms and exported from the port
city of Mokha, the original ‘Mocha’ coffee. Yemenis also drink tea, particularly enjoying tea
spiced with cardamom. A recipe for making spiced tea is available on page 35.
Yemen 13
The shared family meal is an important part of Yemeni culture. Food is freshly prepared
every day and the meal always begins with an Islamic blessing. Cooking for her family
is one of a woman’s most important roles and Yemeni women are proud of their culinary
skills. Girls learn to cook by watching and participating in the daily activity of preparing
food. This means that most recipes are not written down and each family has its own
version of the dishes typical of Yemeni cuisine. Quantities of ingredients are judged by
‘what feels right’ rather than by weight or measure.
Yemeni Roots, Salford Lives project Artist, Mrs Lesley Sutton, was treated to a cooking and
tasting session in the family home of Mrs Fenda Qaderi together with other ladies in the
Eccles community including Mrs Atteager Audhali and her daughter. Lesley describes her
experience of Yemeni food:
“
“The ladies cooked me a delicious honey dough called Ma’soob. They mixed bran
flour, salt and water and cooked it in a pan on the stove. A hole was made in the middle
of the mixture and filled with clarified butter and liquid smoke. It was served with honey
poured in the middle and tasted lovely.
An egg dish called Shakshookah was made from chopped onions and tomatoes, mixed
with two chopped chillis, herbs, coriander, cumin and salt. These were lightly fried
and six eggs were folded into the mixture like scrambled eggs. It makes a delicious
breakfast.
We also had Foul. This is curried beans made with tomatoes, onion, cumin, coriander,
chilli, salt and mashed red kidney beans. The onion is lightly fried, then the tomatoes
and spices added. The tinned kidney beans are crushed with a fork before being
added to the sauce and cooked for a few minutes.
A lot of these savoury sauces are served with a flat bread called Khobz. This is made
from flour, water and yeast, mixed and left to rise for about two hours. Balls of the
dough are flattened and flipped from hand to hand to create large flat plates of dough.
In the kitchens here, these are cooked in a very hot dry pan on top of the stove. The
ladies told me that in Yemen they would be thrown against the hot stone of their oven
– a bit like stone-baked pizza.
I had a wonderful time with the ladies, learning about their recipes and cooking
techniques.”
Yemen 14
A Brief History of Yemenis in Britain
By Mohammad Siddique Seddon
The historical links between Britain and the Yemen date back to the early nineteenth century
when the port of Mocha on the south-western tip of the Arabian peninsular became an import
coaling station and coffee exporting centre for British vessels and merchants. By 1838, after
failing to secure the port from Ottoman Turk and Yemeni tribal incursions, the British were
instead able to establish a protectorate at the port of Aden, roughly one hundred kilometres
along the southern coast from Mocha. As a result of an Anglo-Turkish agreement in 1901 the
Yemen was effectively split into two countries, the north becoming an Ottoman province and
the south a British protectorate.
It was from the British controlled port of Aden that many Yemenis, from both the north and
south, along with Somalis and some South Asians made their way to Britain as Lascars,
or merchant sailors, on British ships. Largely employed as boiler-men, their work was long
and arduous. By the end of the nineteenth century, transient communities of Yemeni sailors
were present in Cardiff, South Shields, Liverpool, London and Hull. When the Manchester
Ship Canal opened in 1894, Salford soon saw the development of a growing multiracial and
multicultural community within the docklands known locally as the ‘Barbary Coast’.
First published in Salford Museum and Art Gallery’s LifeTimes Link magazine, issue 15,
reproduced with kind permission.
Look out for Dr Seddon’s forthcoming book: Mohammad Siddique Seddon (2013),
The Last of the Lascars: Yemeni Muslims in Britain 1836 -2012,
Markfield: Kube Publishers
Useful resources:
Richard I.Lawless,
From Ta’izz to Tyneside, An Arab Community in the North-East of England,
University of Exeter Press, Exeter, 1995
Fred Halliday,
Arabs in Exile: Yemeni Migrants in Urban Britain,
I.B.Tauris, London & New York, 1992
DVD: The King of South Shields,
(includes Last of the Dictionary Men)
by Tina Gharavi, Bridge & Tunnel Productions, 2008
Websites:
www.yca-manchester.org.uk
www.yca-sandwell.org.uk
www.ycasheffield.co.uk
www.liverpoolarabiccentre.org.uk
www.yemenembassy.org.uk
www.movinghere.org.uk
The British Yemeni Society: www.al-bab.com/bys
Yemeni ship-workers in South
Shields, donated by Gadri Audhali.
Yemen 15
The Yemenis of Eccles
A small number of single-male Yemeni sailors settled in the community of Eccles, Salford,
with one of them establishing ‘Abdul’s Café’, famous for serving both Arabic and English
food. By the early 1950s three Yemenis, Abdo Hizam, Hassan Muhammad and Muhammad
Kasseum, had arrived in Eccles. Originally coming to Salford as sailors, as they settled and
married local girls, they took up employment in nearby factories like Gardner’s Engines,
Pilkington’s Tiles, Irlam Steel Works and Regent Tyres.
As the British shipping industry declined, Yemenis moved away from their traditional dockland
communities into the industrial heartlands of Birmingham, Sheffield and Manchester. In Eccles,
the Yemeni community soon grew into hundreds and later thousands as the
government encouraged migration of colonial subjects to assist in Britain’s
post-war economic boom. Until the 1970s the Yemeni community in Eccles
consisted largely of single males living in ‘bachelor houses’ and eating and
socialising in one of the five Arab cafes dotted around the town. Single men
were eventually joined by their wives and children from the Yemen and the
community soon established a small zawiyah, or prayer room, within the
home of the late and respected Hassan Al-Haideri. In 1972 a branch of
the Yemeni Welfare Society was established providing important cultural
and educational programmes for the Yemeni families. The society also
represented the community at a local, national and international level and
representations ranged from liaising with the local councils and education authorities, to
receiving visiting government officials from the Yemen. As the community grew, the need for
a functioning mosque became a priority. The community collectively purchased 5 Liverpool
Road, Eccles for £13,500 in March 1980. Originally the vendors, the Christian Scientists,
opposed the private acquisition of the building but when reassurances were given that it was
to be used as a religious centre they lowered their asking price from £30,000 to £13,500.
Further, when the community could not raise the capital needed to purchase the building
outright, the Christian Scientists secured a deposit of £1,350 and then facilitated an interest
free loan for the outstanding balance enabling the completion of the sale.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s the number of Yemenis
living in Eccles could be counted in the thousands; today the
community has dwindled, numbering less than a thousand.
Economic recession has meant the job prospects are limited
and many Yemenis left the town to seek employment in the
Arabian Gulf. For the present community, established over
fifty years ago and now in its fourth generation, the future
mirrors that of all post-industrial inner-city communities
where housing, education and employment prospects and opportunities can only be created
by massive financial aid. This requires far-sighted planning and economic investment from
local, central and even European governments. Whilst the Yemeni community in Eccles is the
‘newest’ of the Yemeni communities in the UK, British Yemenis represent the oldest continuous
Muslim community in Britain born out of Britain’s colonial past. The Yemeni community in
Britain has a rich history and a resilient and flourishing culture that dates back to the 1880s.
Yemen 16
Coming to England
Migration & Settlement
Yemen is located on the Arabian Peninsula, next to
Saudi Arabia and Oman. The Port of Aden lies on one of
the busiest shipping lanes in the world and was a British
protectorate until 1967. Many Yemenis who were British
subjects joined the Merchant Navy, later settling in the UK
ports of Liverpool, South Shields and Cardiff. Others came
to work in the industrial cities of Birmingham, Sheffield and
Manchester. The first settlers in Eccles were single men who
lived communally and worked in the surrounding factories. They saved
money to send home but returned infrequently. A few married English women and established
families in the UK. Others had wives in Yemen and spent years living apart.
The first women in Eccles came to join their husbands in the 1970s and 80s. Families continue
to travel between Britain and Yemen for marriage, holidays and extended sojourns.
“
Yusuf Bagail was born and raised in Eccles:
My dad came here in the early 50s, worked quite hard to build himself up. Originally he
was a farmer, so we’re from a poor background. He took a gamble to come to the UK
at the time when the Brits controlled Aden. He was originally from Radda in the centre
of Yemen but he went over to Aden and worked there for several years, and then had
the opportunity to come here.
Mukbil Ahmed came to Britain as a young man during the 1950s:
I get the ship from Aden to Djibouti then from Djibouti to Marseille, through Canal Suez.
We stayed three days in Marseille. We’ve got five pounds each in our pockets. From
Marseille to Dover. Come to England. I was frightened when I come to England, maybe
they take me back! But I had my passport with me. From Dover we get train to London,
stay there for a night with somebody I know from Aden. Next day they show me the
train station. There were four of us, four people coming to Manchester.
Saleh Algedanar was born in Yemen in 1962:
I came to the UK with my mother and my father. I was about two years old at the time.
My father emigrated with my grandfather in the late 40s and he stayed there [in the
UK], worked there until he got permission from my mother’s father for her to be able
to come with him to the UK. (Because you had to ask permission in those days. It was
letting your daughter leave the village. It was hard and you had to get permission.
That’s why he stayed so long.)
Mohamed Abdul Kader spent 14 years separated from his wife in Yemen:
If you live here far away, you find it very, very difficult. Your body’s here but your thoughts
are where you should be. Over there. Some people when they came here the first time
just stayed in their room.
Yemen 17
“
Mohamed Alnomire spent his childhood separated from his father:
[I] came over to the UK when I was fourteen. My father’s been here since 1954
but he never really had the chance to call us over until 1992. I didn’t really have
any friends from our community because there weren’t any [teenagers]. It was very
different. The fashion was very different; everything was just totally different to me.
It was like coming from another world. I mean even the steering wheel was on the
other side. Speaking the language was difficult, wearing the clothing was different
so it was – I had to adapt. Basically I had to change my life and adapt into the society
that I’ve just entered.
Saleh Algedanar recalls the families’ first British winter:
I remember the first time when my mother saw snow. And we were walking – I will
never, ever forget – on Langworthy Road; she was taking me to school and it was a
steep little walk. There was a petrol station on the right hand side and she slipped,
and she tumbled down on the sidewalk [laughing]! …She never walked over that
steep hill [again]. She always took the long way round because she remembered
falling down!
A third generation female explains what life was like when her grandmother
first arrived in Britain:
For the first year my grandmother spent most of her time indoors because she
wanted to wear a scarf and my granddad was insistent that she didn’t (because
there weren’t that many women here and he didn’t know how people would react
to her). So he said ‘No’. So she said ‘I’m not going out then’ and she spent nearly
a year in the house. In the end she gave in because she went all yellow. I think she
got jaundice or something.
Mukbil Said Kassim came to Britain to work in 1970:
Our people like to work two years, three years, going back, coming back, going to
family. You’ve got children, all the time you miss the children, you miss the wife. You
need to see all the family and friends.
Mohamed Abdul Kader came to Britain to work in 1958:
A lot of people first time when they arrived here, found it very, very difficult. First of
all they cannot understand English, don’t speak at all. The only person here was
working in the Merchant Navy at that time. He can interpret for you; if you’re going
to sign on the Dole or you’re going to see the doctor. [If] you’re not able to speak,
you’ll find it very, very difficult.
Yemen 18
Building the Community
The Yemeni community in Eccles was established over 60
years ago. It began with the arrival of three men in search of
work – Abdo Hizam, Hassan Muhammad and Muhammad
Kasseum – but rapidly expanded. During the 1970s and 80s
several thousand Yemenis lived in the streets surrounding
Liverpool Road, establishing an infrastructure that included
boarding houses, halal cafes and shops, a welfare society,
Arabic school and mosque. Today Yemenis in Eccles number
less than a thousand though the community remains closeknit. The Yemeni Community Association continues to support its
members whilst forging positive links with the wider population including
Salford Youth Service and the City Council.
“
Yusuf Bagail is a former community development worker who now manages a
shop on Liverpool Road:
People say they’ve not achieved much, but what they’ve done in their life, we could
not cope with. They took it on the shoulder and they strove forward. I want someone to
realise ‘That’s our secret, that’s our treasure’ and respect that!
Mukbil Ahmed was Chairman of the YCA during the 1970s:
Before, we fight each other! ‘You come from the South, you come from the North, you
come from that family.’ But after that they come more together. That’s the beginning
[of the YCA]...We cook and eat dinner in my house. All our houses. Then we come all
together.
Fatima Dykstra recalls how the first settlers lived communally in order to save
money:
They had boarding houses for the people who wanted to move to Eccles. And then
when they decided they were staying, they’d go and buy a house.
So many would live in one house. But what a lot of people [thought], which was their
ignorance, ‘There’s 20 men living in there’. But what they didn’t know was those 20
men were paying so much a week until the mortgage was paid. Then they’d move
into another house, leave the man that’s got his; that’s paid for. Then they’d move
into another house and do exactly the same, until the house was paid for. They all
stuck together. They were just one big community. Everybody looked out for everybody
else.
Fatima Dykstra’s father opened the first Yemeni cafe in Eccles
in 1962:
[Kasseum’s] was somewhere for the Arab men to sit. They’d sit
playing cards all day. And they’d buy cups of tea or they’d have
some soup. It was just somewhere they could gather together. It
had tables and chairs in, and a jukebox so we’d put music on.
Everybody loved him and everybody called him ‘Aba’ (because Aba
means Dad in Arabic). ‘Hiya Aba’ [they’d say] when they’d come in the café.
Yemen 19
“
Even the English people when they’d come in. He was
just a brilliant man, an absolutely brilliant man. He
wouldn’t see anybody go hungry. He never let anybody
go hungry. They’d say ‘Oh I can smell that soup’. ‘Do
you want some?’ ‘I’ve got no money.’ But he’d still give it
to them, always give it to them. He’d never see anybody
go hungry. Everybody knew him, everybody.
A third generation female describes her close-knit
community:
The children grew up together like brothers and sisters. I call the girls that are my
age my sisters, because they are; we look after each other; we’ll do anything for
each other. And even if we are far from each other, there’s still that bond. If anybody
needs anybody, you know they’ll come. They’ll just drop everything and they’ll come.
The other Arabs are like extended family.
Saleh Algedanar remembers the close-knit community of his childhood:
Here in Salford I remember, everybody in the street used to pop into each other’s
houses. We’d pop into each other’s house. ‘Have you got some sugar? Have you
got some of this? Have you got some of that?’ I don’t see it these days. It’s not as
it was in those days, if you know what I mean. Our house was open. Our front door
was open, our back door was open and the next-door neighbours were all coming
in.
Miriam Baobeid recalls Eid celebrations in 1960s Eccles:
When it was Eid, we used to have a holiday. We were taken out of school even
though it wasn’t a holiday for anybody else. And we used to go to all the Arab houses
and say to them ‘Eid Mubarak’ or ‘Happy Eid’ and we’d always get money. It was
like wow!
It’s something that sticks in your mind, even after all these years because there
wasn’t very many of them, but they were all close with us. We used to call them
Uncle. It wouldn’t be one man in his house. It would be a few of them, bachelors,
living together. And you’d just go in and say ‘Happy Eid’ and they’d be happy to see
you. Probably because their families were all abroad.
Yemen 20
“
Mohammed Saif was a founding member of the
YCA which once intervened to resolve a dispute at
Manchester Docks:
There were approximately 40 Egyptians working on a
ship at the time. And the other workers (who obviously
were a rank above them, were from Greece) used to
deal with them in an extremely poor manner. They
didn’t have much rights and they were being exploited.
So Attick [representing the YCA] went down, did a bit of
translation. He then got the unions involved, got them off
the boat and got them on a flight home. They also held the
ship at Salford Quays for a while until they paid the wages to the
Egyptian workers.
Aziz Hussain explains how early settlers helped to support one another:
In those days houses were a lot cheaper than they are now and they all helped each
other. If someone wanted to buy a house all their friends would contribute and borrow
money as opposed to going to the bank and they were always paid back. There was
that loyalty there and the trust and the honesty so they always paid it back.
Yusuf Bagail is a former community development worker:
Sometimes, if we had an event the next day, we used to stay
over [at the YCA] 24 hours, literally! I remember pizzas
in the office every day! We used to give it [everything].
Why? Because we believed in it. We wanted the best
for our community, we wanted to see change. I think
we’d had enough of our people going the wrong way
or not achieving, not standing out above the crowd. We
wanted people to engage with the rest of the community,
to become better within themselves, to show people who
we are and where we’re from.
Tina Hassan remembers Eccles in the 1970s:
There used to be along this road a little shop, a Pakistani shop. It used to sell [halal]
chickens and meat. And there was also a café further up Liverpool Road. Other than
that you would have to go to an abattoir and kill the sheep yourself. That’s what they
used to do at Eid, go to the abattoir. And we’d be sat there at home;
everything’s prepared, waiting for the sheep to come. The fresh
sheep with the fresh liver. And you’d have to cut it up when you
got home and you’d have to give so much away. (You couldn’t
keep it all; you had to give so much away to the poor people.
It’s your offering.) Good job I’m not a vegetarian or vegan!
Yemen 21
Working Lives
The first generation of Yemeni men in Eccles worked in
factories around Salford and Trafford Park. Companies
included Regent Rubber (tyres), Gardners (industrial
engineering), Irlam Steel, Akros Chemicals and Pilkington
Tiles. Others worked as dockers at the Port of Manchester.
Work was often physically demanding and shifts lasted up
to 12 hours. Though conditions were dirty and unpleasant
the men earned enough to live modestly, save towards a
mortgage and support their families. Subsequent generations
followed their fathers into the factories, though increasing numbers
now graduate from university into professional jobs or have businesses of their own.
“
Mukbil Ahmed came to Britain in 1956 and had numerous jobs in heavy
industry:
From the mattress factory [I moved] to Regent Rubber factory, making tyres. I
worked from six ‘til six! Six to six for seven pounds, eight pounds, nine pounds,
something like this! [It was] very hard work, very hard work. And I was working very
hard. I worked [there for] for about three and a half years, and I went from there to
Irlam Steelworks, steelworker yes. I worked there two and half years, [then was
made] redundant. Then I moved from the Steelworks to Gardner’s, machinery yes,
industrial machines. Oh, a very bad job! I stayed with Gardner’s 15 years. Altogether
in England I work thirty years. Thirty years I was working non-stop, till I got [made]
redundant.
Mohammed Saif recalls the long hours and gruelling conditions endured by
migrant workers:
English [people] didn’t want to work in that job. The gaffer is fed up from English
people – working two days then saying ‘Oh I’ll not bother, will leave it’.
A second generation female shares memories of work during the 1960s:
I left school on the Wednesday and I went looking for a job. My dad said ‘Right,
go to work. You go and find a job’. So I found a job on the
Wednesday afternoon, which was sewing and it was for
Smith and Nephew on Stockport Road. I’ll never forget,
I started on the Thursday and that was it, you know?
When you got fed up with that you just walked out
and got another one! I did all sorts.
We went to college at night. We were learning sewing.
(Night school it was called then, not college.) I learnt
short-hand typing and then I didn’t like that because I
didn’t like the bosses. They’d be looking up your skirts
if you crossed your legs…so that didn’t last!
Yemen 22
“
Mohamed Alnomire moved to Britain as a
teenager. He joined his father who had been
working here since 1954:
It was in ’99 when I got a full-time job at
Pilkington Tiles. That’s where my Dad worked
and a lot of the Yemenis worked at that time
[who were] my age. I had a commitment; I
took a mortgage because I’d invested in an
ice factory in Yemen. And I assumed that the
job was permanent. And it was supposed to be
permanent until a year down the line, I got called
by one of the managers and basically they said
‘Last in, first out’.
That day I promised myself. I said ‘I’ll never work for an English
firm again’ because you just count as numbers to them. There’s no relationship, there’s
no loyalty, regardless.
Gadri Audhali graduated from university in Yemen, but found himself working on
a British production line: I was still working in that factory. And I was never happy even
though I could earn a lot of money if I wanted, because I’d always be offered overtime.
I was developing in the factory, but it wasn’t the place I wanted to be. So, in 2008
they said ‘There’s been problems, so we’re going to have to make some redundant’. I
volunteered. I said if I do not volunteer for redundancy I’m going to stay here all my life,
because they won’t get rid of me!
I mean, when I first worked in a factory I thought ‘I’ll just do six months until I find a
better job’. But that’s what everybody says! You do six months and then you end up
doing five or six years.
Mohamed Abdul Kader remembers what it was like be unemployed:
I get up about eight o’clock and would walk from here to Trafford Park. From Trafford
Park I’d walk round, round, around all Trafford Park, arrive to [the] bus station at
Piccadilly. I come through there about three o’clock. I have no single water. I have not
a drink [of] water, no tea, no food. I am suffering; hungry when I was walking. When
you arrive inside the factory the man he tell you ‘Sorry we have no job. No vacancies!
No vacancies!’
Aziz Hussain remembers his parents:
My father was a labourer and my mother was a housewife. My dad
used to work long hours, seven days a week, really hard graft.
I remember him working at Salford Docks (I think that was the
main job) and I think then when that stopped functioning he then
worked at Pilkington Tiles in Swinton and I think he worked at
Irlam Steel and Gardners (which were common workplaces for
Yemenis in those times). I believe he used to operate the cranes;
that was one of his later jobs. But before that he did manual
manoeuvring of goods. But he was trained to use the cranes and
he’d be loading and unloading the ships [at the Docks].
Yemen 23
“
A second generation female shares memories of work during the 1960s:
You weren’t allowed to speak or anything like that; you were disciplined in work.
‘What are you doing talking, you’re here to work? You’re not here to talk; talk at
break times.’ You couldn’t go to the toilet, the same as school. (Or you go at break
time.) Even if you were bursting! They’d be timing you. They’d be outside like that
[with their watches], timing you!
There used to be a clocking-on system and if you were a minute late you got docked
10 minutes or quarter of an hour. You daren’t be late!
Mohamed Alnomire is a successful entrepreneur with several restaurants and
a property portfolio:
Since we reformed the YCA in 2005, I think I was the only Yemeni in business.
Now we’re in 2012 there’s more than 12 Yemenis in business. So we are moving,
but gradually. Very, very slowly. I’ve always said to the community we need to get
out from being employed to being an employer. We need to move on; that is our
ambition. Sometimes you need to create the opportunity yourself. You need to
sacrifice to reach to that point. You may need to work for £3-£4 an hour in a pizza
shop or in a curry house to gain the experience, to really experience the opportunity
of a small enterprise rather than working in a big company.
Tina Hassan’s husband Saif experienced both discrimination and solidarity in
the workplace:
He had three jobs when he came to Eccles. The first was Regent Rubber that used
to make big tyres. His second job was Pilkington Tiles and his last job was Gardners.
The gaffer was a bit prejudiced. And he really riled him one day and Saif hit him;
so he got the sack. But the union got everyone out and they said it was his fault for
being racist, and being the way he was with Saif, He got reinstated, maybe about
1977, something like that. They moved the other man so he didn’t have contact with
him, which was good.
Yemen 24
Leisure Time
Early Yemeni settlers worked long hours in manual jobs with little
time or money to have fun. Few had televisions and instead
relied on the radio for entertainment. During the 1960s
the Regent Cinema in Eccles screened Arabic films on a
Sunday afternoon. Later, people also watched English and
American films at one of nine cinemas and theatres in the
town.
Tony Flyn is author of ‘The History of Eccles Cinemas
and Theatres’: “In 1962 Eccles justices gave [the Regent’s
manager] Mr Swindlehurst permission to open on Sunday
afternoons to cater for the town’s growing Arab population.
June of that year saw Samson and Delilah screened in Arabic
and shortly afterwards there were regular showings of Arab
musical films.”
In 1977 boxing champion Muhammad Ali visited the Yemeni mosque in South Shields,
inspiring Muslims across Britain. During The 1990s Sheffield-Yemeni boxer Prince Naseem
Hamed further popularised the sport.
“
Atteager Audhali was a child in the 1960s:
Next to Morrisons there was a cinema, and we used to go and watch Arab films there,
years ago. There’s a picture of my mum and dad, where my dad was writing people’s
names or something ’cause my dad used to sell [bottles of] Coke.
I remember going when we were little. It was all in Arab[ic]; we just watched like everyone
else. I remember one; it was like Jane Eyre but in Arab[ic], where I remember her
burning a building down. She was like a crazy woman in the house, on the top floor.
Yusuf Bagail describes the mentality of his father’s generation:
Life was just work, work, work. There was no pleasure for them, there were no leisure
activities. If they were lucky, they probably went to see the Muhammad Ali fight on a
screen somewhere. I think because the Yemenis go back to a warrior, tribal [tradition];
they’re all into fighting entertainment rather than football or cricket. They like the aspect
of watching a boxer fight.
There was a boxer who came out, Prince Naseem and he kind of helped in a way.
That’s when we all rose high: ‘Yeah we’re from the Yemen. The boxer?
Yeah don’t mess with me, we’re all related!’ Naseem got famous and
people started to understand where we’re from.
Mukbil Ahmed describes a former pastime:
Sometimes we’re going to – what do you go call it? Wrestling!
Wrestling, we go to see it in Manchester, Belle Vue. Every
Saturday, we have to go to that! [Laughing]…Enjoyed it.
Yemen 25
“
Aziz Hussain enjoyed learning to box as a child:
Shacklady’s has been going for some years now, since
1954. It was founded by Michael Shacklady who was a
professional boxer. As a child I used to go to the gym on
and off for years. So we’ve always been keen on boxing;
we’d do the exercises, do the sparring, but it didn’t go
further than that. We didn’t go onto having amateur fights.
I think it stems down from when Muhammad Ali used to fight because my dad used
to love watching him on telly; he was Muslim and he was the world champ. So I think
that might have been one of reasons why we did that. But I also remember watching
wrestling with my dad. Big Daddy – remember Big Daddy?!
Mohamed Abdul Kader relied on his radio for company:
A lot of houses had no television before. The television was in black and white.
Every man who’s a rich man, you find a television in his house. But poor people I
think, you never find. You got a radio, a small radio so you can hear the news. But
you have no television at all, not every house!
A second generation female remembers growing up during the 1950s:
We was one of the lucky ones, weren’t we? ‘Cause we had a telly; we had a
bathroom. Some had no bathrooms. People didn’t know what a television was. We
used to have people coming to our house, watching our telly. We switched the lights
off; they were all on the floor. It was like a cinema!
My Dad, he’d take us to the park, and we’d play on the park. Then he’d pick us up
and take us to the cinema. We were very fortunate there. People didn’t go to the
cinema, but we did. It was Roy Rodgers [at the] Saturday matinee.
Fatima Dykstra recalls a club where Yemenis could meet
and socialise: They got the scout hut so we had somewhere
to congregate. And we’d dance there and drink bottles of
Coke, the men would play cards. Like a little youth club. It
wasn’t very big but we went, it was good. I think that was in
the 60s before my dad opened the cafe.
Tina Hassan met her husband Saif through a mutual friend.
Their first date was at the cinema: There was a choice between
one of the Carry-On films and the other one was a thriller. I said ‘Oh we’ll
go and watch the Carry-On film’. And I think we only stayed about an hour or so. I
just said ‘Oh no we can’t watch this!’ because it was a bit rude! And I felt really, you
know [embarrassed].
Yemen 26
Faith in Our Lives
During the 1950s and 60s, people tended to pray at home or
the zawiyah, a small prayer room at Mr Hassan Al-Haideri
house at 49 Peel Street. As the community expanded the
need for a mosque became a priority, prompting members
to raise a deposit and secure 5 Liverpool Road, the site of
a former Christian Scientist church. The mosque has since
expanded to incorporate 7 Liverpool Road.
Today people enjoy more opportunities to learn about Islam from
their parents, the mosque and the Arabic School, founded in 1981 by
the YCA. For many Yemenis, their faith is a cornerstone of their everyday lives.
“
Aziz Hussain describes the history of Eccles Mosque:
Hassan Al-Haideri kindly gave his house for people to use as a prayer school facility.
And then in the early 80s – because the house was too small and he couldn’t really
accommodate people – we really needed a dedicated building to be a mosque. The
Christian Scientist centre was up for sale and the Yemenis and a few other people from
the community all contributed towards buying the building. My dad played a key role as
the treasurer. I always remember this big key that he had – it was huge – to a safe. The
big safe in the mosque (a big black box) and he was in charge of the funds.
Miriam Baobeid remembers Eccles in the 1960s:
Mr Kayed used to teach the children how to pray. You see nowadays they’re very
lucky; they have all these facilities to learn their religion. We never had anything like
that when we were growing up. My father used to say to us ‘We’re not allowed to eat
pork. We’re not allowed to drink alcohol.’ That’s all really. And then we used to go to Mr
Kayed’s once a week and he’d be teaching everybody how to pray in his house.
Yusuf Bagail attended St Andrew’s Primary School during the 1980s:
At that age it was a bit difficult understanding what Islam was, what a Muslim was
because of the environment that I was living in. But I think at a later stage we got a lot
of educational support in the schools, where educated women
– I remember them coming in and teaching us about Islam
but in a primary environment where we had little books, the
different stories of the prophets; about Noah, about the
Ark, about Mary, about Jesus etc. So the schools became
quite supportive of allowing the women to come and talk
to us about Islam. It really helped me as a young lad at
the time.
Yemen 27
“
Gadri Audhali is a Muslim Chaplin at HMP Forest Bank:
It’s always good to come to the UK because you live in a
different environment. I think the best Islamic environment
I’ve lived in is the UK Islamic environment, believe it or
not. And if I didn’t live in the UK, I wouldn’t have known –
I’d have a different mentality, I’d have a different way of
viewing things. But you come to the UK; you see things
differently because you live in a multi-culture. Over there
it’s not a multi-culture, it’s just Yemenis, all Muslims.
A third generation male discusses the importance of
religious instruction:
It comes down to understanding your own beliefs and where
you are, and having a good education. With my children I’m trying to make them
understand where we come from, what our religion is. And not being parents who say
‘You follow this religion because I’m from that religion’. I want them to study religion,
learn the religion, understand the religion and then they can make an informed
choice as a human being.
Tina Hassan describes her faith: I do my prayers. I do my fasting when I can. I
read the Qur’an and I’ve tried to be a good Muslim. Insha Allah, I try. I’d help anyone
whether they be Muslim, Sikh or Jewish. Islam isn’t just praying five times a day, it’s
more than that; it’s a way of life.
Atteager Audhali expresses her both her faith and cultural identity by wearing
a headscarf:
I think [there’s discrimination] more now because I wear the Hijab. And you get some
words shouted at you or spat at. But I’m proud of wearing it, so I don’t really care
what anyone says. If they shout and say names, I don’t really care anymore. It’s just
when you’re on your own in the street or anything like that, and you get called. Or
they whistle. But you just laugh it off.
Yemen 28
Learning & Opportunity
Most early settlers came from farming families in rural districts of Yemen. They had no formal
teaching and a limited understanding of the Qur’an. At that time women did not attend school
and married at a young age. Migrants arriving in the UK learnt English from colleagues at
work, or attended night school.
Second and third generation Yemenis attended primary schools in Eccles where they
campaigned for a greater acceptance and understanding of Islam. Most went onto Werneth
High School, and progressed to college. Today increasing numbers of Yemenis – including
women educated in both Yemen and the UK – study at university.
“
Aziz Hussain was a child in the 1980s:
We all went to St Andrew’s Primary School; there were
only a few Muslim families. There were some Bengalis,
a couple of Pakistanis and just a handful of Yemenis.
Not like it is today. I remember Catholic and Protestant
children at school but there wasn’t really a great
understanding of our religion.
Yusuf Bagail was born in 1980:
Don’t forget a lot of us didn’t go to university. A lot of
Yemenis just went into the factories. (I think before me
there were probably only two that went to university out
of the whole community).
Jauharah Salim is the current YCA development worker:
When I was growing up girls didn’t go to university because some other Yemeni girls
went to university and came back as bad girls. So it meant that if I went to university
people would say that I was bad like them. I was determined to prove my family wrong;
that if I go to uni I’m not going to come back with a bad reputation and talked about. For
me getting a degree and doing something with my life was important.
This third generation female beat the odds to gain an English
Literature degree:
I went to school and college and university. There weren’t
that many barrier-free schools when I first started so I was
put in a special school over in Swinton. Then in 1992
Wentworth High was the first barrier free in the area. It was
all adapted. So six of us – pioneers basically – [went] to
that school. In the first year they slowly got us used to it by
taking us to the odd lesson. [The other pupils] had not seen
children in wheelchairs.
Yemen 29
“
Gadri Audhali struggled to find a graduate job in the UK despite his
qualifications:
I came here. I thought ‘I’ve studied Business Management [at university in Yemen]’.
It doesn’t mean anything when you get here. The studying is different, the system’s
different. And employers don’t want certificates, they want experience. I’ve just finished
university, I have no experience.
Saida Ahmed’s daughter overcame initial opposition to train as a midwife:
First of all people were talking about why she left home to go to university, and then
the second is what about the job of being a midwife, staying nights in the hospital? It’s
a bad idea from [the point of view of] the culture. But I didn’t listen to what they were
staying. I still kept encouraging my daughter to become a midwife, to leave home and
stay at university until she becomes qualified. And then I was pleased; she’d finished
university, she has her degree, she had her job as a midwife. So now all the daughters
want to become nurses!
This female was born and raised in Aden. She moved to Eccles nine years ago:
My dad always told us ‘Don’t think you’re going to get married. You have to finish [your
education]’. My dad, he studied until secondary school and he got his accountant [job].
And he’s not [able to study anymore], he’s in an office. And of course he wanted us to
be educated; he wanted something better for us, for the future.
Mohamed Alnomire left school with few qualifications: I’ve got no room to start
saying to the next generation ‘Continue your education’ because I never even went to
college. So two years ago I decided to go to university again. I’ve got one more year to
go in Politics and International Relations. It’s just to know that you’ve done something,
because I’m hoping my kids will finish university. I think before we can preach [to]
people and start advising people, we need to be in that position [ourselves].
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Identity & Belonging
Like other ethnic minorities, many in the Yemeni community have experienced discrimination
and harassment over their years in Britain. The mosque, in particular, has been attacked
on several occasions. These posters help everyone to understand that Yemenis are an
established part of the Eccles community with neighbours and friends from all walks of life.
They identify with both British values and customs and their Yemeni heritage and culture,
which they regularly share at public events such as the Eccles Summer Festival.
“
Gadri Audhali’s family have lived in Britain for five generations:
Bremeni! We are 50/50 Yemeni, British. We love Yemen; we’re here in Britain as well.
You know we were born here, it’s our country, it’s our community. We care. I’ve got
family who are originally from Yemen and I’ve also got family who are originally white.
So I am 50/50.
Yusuf Bagail is a second generation Yemeni:
Even though we do call Yemen home, I think we like it but
we love to live here. We relate more to the UK than we do
the Yemen.
This female was raised in Aden and moved to Eccles
nine years ago:
I’m still connected to my country [but] when I go back to
Yemen for a few months or a holiday, I miss here. I feel like I’m
from Eccles. I miss my house; I miss my community, shopping in
Morrisons! [Laughs] It feels like I belong to here as well. Both.
Tina married Saif Hassan in 1973:
I’ve had a few bad comments, you know when I’ve been pushing the pram and Saif
was with me and the kids. And they’ve said ‘Oh look! One coffee and one cream’. And
they’ve said other really dirty things that I would not say again. Strangers passing by,
making comments. Saif would go mad, but I’d have to hold him. I’d have to say ‘No,
don’t, just walk, ignore.’ Oh it really upset it him. It did me, but I didn’t show it for him
because I didn’t want him to fight. It was awful. Awful. Really.
Fatima Dykstra was born in Liverpool and has lived in Eccles for almost 50
years:
The racial thing still goes on you know, it still goes on. A lot of people might think that it
doesn’t, but it does. It’s easier than it used to be. You know it has gone easier, but it’s
still there. It’s still there.
Yemen 31
“
Fatima Dykstra experienced racism whilst looking for work in the 1970s:
I went to the Dole, got the card for a shop assistant. And when I got there they said
it was taken. That was when I was 15. I went home and told my mum. I said ‘They
said the job’s taken’. So my mum said ‘Well they said the job’s there – go and get it.’
So we went back to the Dole and their excuse was ‘They couldn’t have me working
there because people didn’t want somebody coloured to touch
the food’. And that’s why I was refused the job.
Second generation female:
They just used to say ‘Oh yours is a nice name’ or
‘Where are you from? You speak very good English,
but where are you from?’
Sister: They always thought we were from somewhere
else! I said ‘No we’re British! We were born here’.
Second generation female: I used to say ‘Well I was born
in Liverpool but raised mainly in Manchester’.
Sister: When I used to say ‘My Dad was from Yemen in
Arabia’ they automatically thought of Lawrence of Arabia! ‘Oh
is your dad called Lawrence?’ And I used to say ‘Yeah!’ ‘Did he ride a camel?’ I said
‘Yeah, he did!’ That’s what a lot of English people thought; they thought he was
some kind of knight in shining armour.
Yusuf Bagail was a child in the 1980s:
My dad used to put up [Christmas decorations] and I didn’t know why. I didn’t even
know it was part of a religion at that time. Christmas is Christmas; everybody gets
involved. So my dad used to put them up every Christmas. And I never thought
nothing of it until I found them again in the cellar. And I asked my dad ‘Why did
you put up that Christmas decoration?’ And he goes ‘To stay safe’. I said ‘Why?’
‘Because if we don’t put it up, they’ll smash our windows’.
The whole street, they were all white; so they all used to put up Christmas decorations.
The ones that didn’t – everybody knew they’re either Jews or Muslims, so they’d
brick the windows. My dad used to put them up, saying ‘Yeah, yeah we’re Christians.
Don’t smash our windows’.
Yemen 32
Eccles Then & Now
Six girls from Eccles explored the history of their community, comparing developments
with their own lives today. At Salford Local Studies Library they found maps, photographs,
newspaper articles and registries, revealing what life was like in the area for Yemeni settlers
during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. They also visited Lark Hill Place at Salford Museum and learnt
about life on a Victorian, Salford Street.
The girls drew a map combining sites of historic interest with current, significant places.
They personalised the map by adding facts discovered through research plus their own
observations and memories. They went on to explore ongoing issues at home, in school
and the community, using discussions to develop a magazine with articles about Yemen,
education, the Hijab and themselves.
They group enjoyed finding out about the past and dressing up in Victorian costumes. One
participant commented that ‘No other museum has a Victorian street and that’s what makes it
the best.’ They found out that there once a market on the site of Morrison’s supermarket, and
the Victorian used leeches to cure the sick.
Youth group:
Sumaya Saleh, Tasneem Saleh, Yasmeen Saleh, Abeer Abdorab, Amal Abdorab and Hybah Qaderi.
Yemen 33
Some facts they discovered about Eccles:
There used to be 9 cinemas and theatres. One screened Arabic films. Today, the only local
place to watch a film is the Trafford centre. There are no Arabic movies shown in the north
west.
Pet rabbits sometimes ended up as dinner in Yemeni family homes!
Lots of Yemenis used to work for Gardners at Barton Hall engineering works. Today many
continue to work in local factories including Wisemans and Pilkingtons.
The YCA now runs from Eccles Youth Centre on Gladstone Road. It used to be a Methodist
Hall.
Yemen 34
Tea Recipe
Coffee and Tea, Yemeni style
Yemen is famous for its coffee, traditionally exported from the port city of Mokha and therefore
known as Mocha. This coffee is still grown on terraces on hillside farms at a height of 6000
to 7,500 feet. Though the plants must be irrigated constantly, the dryness of the air and soil
produces a bean that is small and hard. It is usually air-dried, giving it a unique flavour.
As well as coffee, Yemenis drink tea, particularly enjoying tea spiced with cardamom. Although
it is possible to buy cardamom tea bags, the following is a recipe for making spiced tea from
original spice ingredients.
Spiced Tea
Ingredients:
1 rolled cinnamon stick, broken
3 green cardamom pods, slightly peeled
5 cloves
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ cup milk
¾ cup water
1 teaspoon loose black tea
Sugar to taste
Method:
Add all the spices, milk and water to a saucepan and put on the stove at medium heat.
When it is almost at a boil, add sugar and loose tea.
Keep stirring.
Allow to come to a boil for 1 minute.
Strain and serve.
Yemen 35
The Yemeni community in Eccles dates back
to the 1950s. Yemeni Roots, Salford Lives is
a resource that shares the lives and culture
of this community. It is based on a collection
of life-story interviews gathered in a project
funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the
book sheds light on the hidden history of this
small but dynamic community.
Published by Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust,
J Floor, Sackville Building, University of Manchester,
Sackville Street, Manchester M60 1QD
www.racearchive.org.uk
rrarchive@manchester.ac.uk