At a time when anti-Muslim rhetoric is rife and anti-immigration policies popular, this Islamic immigration story is an example of how cultures can come together and celebrate the best of each other.
British colonial policy in Aden, led to an influx of Yemeni seamen arriving at the port of South Shields. These arrivals were successful men who served Britain in two World Wars and if contributing their lives was not enough, they contributed economically to the town by opening businesses: shops, cafes and boarding houses in South Shields.
For a community at risk of losing its religion, identity and heritage, the importance of this project cannot be understated. However, this story though subject specific, is a source of pride for all in South Shields and beyond.
Most of the Yemeni seamen who came to South Shields on ships in the early part of the 20th century did not stay. They worked and went back to their families in Yemen. For those who did put down roots in South Shields, they experienced much success but also a lot of challenges to overcome. The racism they fought against in the 1920s and 1930s was extreme and relentless. They faced backlash over the jobs they had, the places they lived, the women they married, their children. They fought for everything they had and for everything we take for granted today. Yemeni integration was not an overnight process. A special mention and tribute has to be paid to their wives, British women who married outside of their race, culture and religion and were often shunned and abused for doing so. They did not choose the easy path.
Undoubtedly race relations in the town have improved over the passing of time. Yemenis are now openly acknowledged as part of the fabric of South Shields and many in the town today, acknowledge a Yemeni parent, grandparent or great grandparent. It is interesting personal observation though, to see that the rhetoric and language used to perpetuate racism that we see online today, is the same as that in the 1920 Gazette columns.
As a British, Yemeni Muslim of mixed race, living in South Shields. I feel it is very important to acknowledge the legacy of our ancestors. Much that we have, someone else has fought for. Our Mosque did not appear overnight. In fact, people were planning and fundraising for a Mosque in South Shields from as early as 1930. The ability to be buried in a Muslim section of Harton Cemetery, others campaigned to achieve this. We live our lives indebted to these people and they deserve to be prayed for and to be remembered.
The content in this work consists of
(a) what has been donated by members of the community,
(b) what I have researched and
(c) what I have somehow been able to find in archives, books or online.
I have largely tried to avoid putting a narrative with material as this would be my own but where facts exist, I have put them forward.
This collection, would not exist at all without the kind and wonderful people who have supported it either by helping to practically run the donation days/events, by sharing their life stories and photographs or by donating money. I pray that Allah swt accepts this work from me and that it benefits all who read it and particularly, I write this thinking of my children, their future children and all of the Yemeni, Arab and Muslim children born in South Shields who are made at times, to feel like this isn’t their town and they don’t belong here because of their race and/or because of their Islamic identity. I hope that this project will give you all the confidence to know that your history here is deep, you have been here for over 100 years, and you aren’t going anywhere.
The website has been completed by me, voluntarily and has been both self funded and community funded by the people of, and friends of the South Shields Yemeni community, This assistance has allowed it to remain independent and shows that this is a subject that touches the hearts of many.
Finally a disclaimer, I do not claim to represent the Yemeni or the Muslim community, I only represent myself as one of many mixed race Yemeni descendants. This is the lens through which I present The Yemeni Project and I am clear, we all have our own stories and our own relationships with our own identities.
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