The EIC brought this on themselves (this being Islam).
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In 1839, the East India Company exerted their power and claimed control of what was then known as the British Protectorate of Aden. Aden was used as a trading center until the end of 1848 when its use shifted as a port for African goods to Arabia and Asia. After continuous disputes between Sharif Hussain and the Zaydi Imam of Yemen, the EIC declared Aden a "free port" in 1853, which brought export shippers from the lower Red Sea region. The docks were ran by the muqaddam system, where "The muqaddam acted as a ‘foreman’ or, ‘leader’ of small, freelance labour gangs for anyone wishing to employ them. the chief duties of the muqaddam was to recruit and employ local men individually, keep the labour gang together, fill the places of those who fell sick and provide sufficient men to meet the needs of the port employers" (Seddon 55). Dock workers and traders came from Arabia, India, Somalia, and Persia. As Seddon states, "the end result of the muqaddam system of employment and migration flow meant that many Yemeni lascar crews were discharged in Europe, and did not return to Aden" (Seddon 57).
As steam powered ships replaced sail powered ones labor demands for coal workers increased. The former Yemeni and Somali sailors and deckhands were recruited for labor in coal mines. Cities like Cardiff became focal points for the Muslim community. As the Muslim community grew and established itself the men needed to find wives. Many of the men married white women. According to Sydney Collins in Bilad al-Welsh, "between eighty and ninety per cent of the wives of colored men were white, with the rest being “half-caste” of the second generation" (Gilliat-Ray and Mellor 468). These women were usually of a lower social class and in regular contact with Yemeni and Somali men from boarding houses and cafes. These women held a significant amount of autonomy over household management due to their husbands being gone at work for long periods of time. But, these women, under the watchful eyes of their neighbors were also responsible for teaching and raising their children with Islamic values. The Muslim community took it upon themselves to establish institutions to teach these "convert" women about Islam so they could properly educate their children. The knowledge these "convert" women gained "raised their status in the local community, which in turn had a catalytic effect on the rate of conversion to Islam more generally" (Gilliat-Ray and Mellor 470). Many of these women felt like it empowered them as individuals, gaining the feeling that they "we belonged to something too. We had our religion” (Gilliat-Ray and Mellor 470). Islam became a focal point in their lives. Olive Salaman "had ' swapped one culture for another,'" speaking in Arabic in a Welsh accent and caring for orphaned Muslim kids within the community (Gilliat-Ray and Mellor 471). The Bay had a positive spirit due to community efforts and the women of the community.