Bilād al-Welsh (Land of the Welsh): Muslims in Cardiff, South Wales: past, present and future

• Published in: The Muslim world (Hartford) 2010-10, Vol.100 (4), p.452-475
• Main Authors: Gilliat-Ray, Sophie, Mellor, Jody
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Business; Cities; Economic factors; Ethnicity; Muslims; Politics; Religion & politics; Shipping industry; Social change; Social factors; Welsh
• ISSN: 0027-4909; 1478-1913
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-1913.2010.01331.x

A major technical transformation took place in the world's merchant shipping industry in the mid-19th century. Most freight ships were no longer powered by sails, but by steam from coal-fired engines. At this time, the Durham and South Wales coalfields were among the most productive in Britain, and their proximity to major ports like Cardiff and South Shields gave these places a particular strategic advantage in the world of commercial shipping. In cities such as Cardiff, boarding houses were established to accommodate this transient community of seafarers drawn from many different religious and ethnic origins. Here, Gilliat-Ray and Mellor demonstrate that throughout their settlement in the city, the fortunes of Muslims and their scope for exercising religious agency and autonomy have been affected by wider social, political and economic factors. They also examine some of the changing fortunes of women in Cardiff--especially white Welsh Muslim converts--and argues that they have often been at the sharp and contested interface between male Muslim seafarers and wider local communities.