Mohamed Din

Mohamed Din arrived in Belfast in 1929, although it is unknown whether he lived in other parts of the UK before settling in the city. Based on available records, this makes Din among the first Indians to settle in Belfast, where he lived for at least ten years. In 1939 he resided at 2 Bedeque Street, where, according to the Home Office’s Alien Department records, eleven other Indians lived including Din’s son. The house was an ordinary residential premises, and all the residents were pedlars who worked with Din.

In terms of his business, Din would buy women’s clothing from a wholesaler in Glasgow. He would then sell these products at a 5 per cent profit to the pedlars who lived at 2 Bedeque Street. The pedlars would sell this stock across Northern Ireland. Din primarily sold products to the pedlars he lived with and generally took a strong interest in their welfare, particularly given that he had a good knowledge of English.

In a letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Secretary of State for the Home Office dated 3 May 1939, it was noted that an application for a passport had been made to the India Office by Mohamed Abdul Ghani, who intended to travel to Belfast and become Din’s employee. The Inspector General’s Office of the Royal Ulster Constabulary interviewed Din to determine whether he was financially able to support Ghani as his sponsor. Din told the interviewer that Ghani was an expert tailor and his skills were necessary in growing his business as he intended to manufacture his own clothing rather than buy them from a wholesaler, which proved more expensive. Din intended to pay Ghani 30 shillings per week.

Whilst the report suggested that Din was able to support Ghani, the Ministry of Home Affairs argued in their assessment of the interview that it was impossible to determine Ghani’s net earnings after paying for board and lodgings. In addition, they argued that Din’s business constituted unfair competition for shopkeepers who did not operate from domestic premises and therefore had to pay rent and taxes. Finally, the Ministry of Home Affairs argued that Indians had a lower standard of living and often undersold to traders, which meant that their presence in Northern Ireland was resented. On these grounds, the Ministry of Home Affairs was unable to recommend the application favourably to the Home Office, despite the Inspector General’s Office’s positive interaction with Din. Ghani’s application presented opportunities for relevant institutions to debate the presence of Indians in Northern Ireland and their participation in a growing clothing industry, which seemingly contravened acceptable business practices.