Early 20th Century Migration
Snippets and Partial Stories
In the early years one of the only ways it is possible to tell whether
or not someone who came from South Asia to BC was a Muslim was by
assessing whether or not their name was a Muslim one. This name could be
mentioned in one of the many primary documents our researchers went
through. These included newspapers, meeting minutes or autobiographies.
Some of these traces or names found in newspapers give us just a brief
glimpse into what like was like for South Asian Muslims in BC at the
time. For instance, this ad from 1912 tells us that a man with a Muslim
name had set up shop giving herbal remedies for multiple ailments and
was advertising his herbs as being “Indian” and, therefore, “noted
throughout the British Empire for being superior to drugs for many
diseases.” If his testimonials are anything to go by, he had many happy
customers around Grenville Street! A small collection of these snippets
can be read in greater detail in our section on Case Studies: Hidden Histories
In addition to the stories of early Muslim migrants, it is important to note the reception they received within Canada. In the 1920s the idea of the Ottoman empire as the enemy in the context of WW1 was conflated with all Muslims. Scholars who have studied Muslims across the world have reminded us that this idea of Muslims as being dangerous and “alien” was by no means restricted to one particular area of the centres of Empire or what today we refer to as Western democracies. In the 1920s, Muslims were portrayed in Canadian newspapers as “fanatics”, the stories told about South Asian Muslims encouraged an exotic conception of the Muslim man who was portrayed as specifically being out to “make Christian America Mohammedan”.
However, this task was made much more confusing for researchers by the fact that some people would take on pseudonyms when they came to Canada.
Such was the case of Husain Rahim, whose real name was Chagan Khairaj Varma. Husain Rahim was helping South Asians workers in British Columbia and was also a supporter of the anti-colonial movement and party of the time, the Ghadr party. As a result, changing his name was a way to keep him safe from the colonial police. This did not mean that his change of name kept him safe. In fact, Varma (or Rahim if you prefer) was threatened with deportation in the 1910s, when Canadian immigration laws were restrictive and explicitly racist. However, the court was surprised to learn that Rahim was actually a citizen of Honoluulu and therefore, could not be arrested! Further information on Rahim can be found under the section on Case Studies: Hidden Histories.
In addition to the stories of early Muslim migrants, it is important to note the reception they received within Canada. In the 1920s the idea of the Ottoman empire as the enemy in the context of WW1 was conflated with all Muslims. Scholars who have studied Muslims across the world have reminded us that this idea of Muslims as being dangerous and “alien” was by no means restricted to one particular area of the centres of Empire or what today we refer to as Western democracies. In the 1920s, Muslims were portrayed in Canadian newspapers as “fanatics”, the stories told about South Asian Muslims encouraged an exotic conception of the Muslim man who was portrayed as specifically being out to “make Christian America Mohammedan”.
However, this task was made much more confusing for researchers by the fact that some people would take on pseudonyms when they came to Canada.
Such was the case of Husain Rahim, whose real name was Chagan Khairaj Varma. Husain Rahim was helping South Asians workers in British Columbia and was also a supporter of the anti-colonial movement and party of the time, the Ghadr party. As a result, changing his name was a way to keep him safe from the colonial police. This did not mean that his change of name kept him safe. In fact, Varma (or Rahim if you prefer) was threatened with deportation in the 1910s, when Canadian immigration laws were restrictive and explicitly racist. However, the court was surprised to learn that Rahim was actually a citizen of Honoluulu and therefore, could not be arrested! Further information on Rahim can be found under the section on Case Studies: Hidden Histories.