Belfast Pakistani Association

The Belfast Pakistani Association was an organization which advocated for the needs of Ulster’s Pakistanis during the 1960s. Whilst there are minimal details about the founding and function of the Belfast Pakistani Association, archival sources indicate that the organization positioned itself as a both cultural and religious representative of about 100 Pakistanis living in and around Belfast. For example, in a letter to the Lord Mayor of Belfast, William Jenkins, on 18 June 1963, the Association requested the use of council premises to establish a mosque. The general secretary of the society, Mr K. Khan, said that most of its members were Muslims and, therefore, the organization took a leading role in requesting a formal place of worship. In the same letter, the organization also requested the use of cinemas on Sundays to show Indian and Pakistani films for local South Asians, highlighting the social function of the Association.

Tom Clerk, a member of the Lord Mayor’s office, responded on 17 July 1963 and noted that the premises in their control were occupied and, therefore, the Association needed to secure private property in order to create a mosque in Belfast, a process which the Town Planning Officer would be able to support. The letter also noted that the council was generally opposed to Sunday film showings, although the reasons for this are not explicit.

There is no indication of how long the Association was in operation. By 1972 the Islamic Society of Northern Ireland (ISNI) took a leading role in advocating for Northern Irish Muslims, by raising funds to establish a mosque and Islamic centre. This may have been because Pakistani and Indian immigrant organizations did not represent the growing diversity of Northern Irish Muslims. ISNI founded the Belfast Islamic Centre in 1985 in south Belfast, and it is possible that those involved with the Belfast Pakistani Association became members of ISNI, given their overlapping objectives.