| Description | An interview with Matiullah DARD, a divorced man with one Son, who is a retired Teacher, born in India and now living in Birmingham. Matiullah DARD’s father was a Govt. service, born in India and his mother a Housewife born in India. In the interview, he talks about …
'MS2255/2/032 DARD, Matiullah, logged by Lorraine Blakemore
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My name is Matiullah Dard. I was born in India on 9th September, 1935 and I lived in India for about 12 years…in the Punjab…I remember as a small child watching the British soldiers whistling and singing and marching….My uncle Dard who was the first Imam of the London Mosque….he had 2 English women living with him….In 1947 when Pakistan came into being….I lived in Lahore for a while….I spent another 12 years in Pakistan studying….BA, MA…
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Didn’t attend formal school because father was a postmaster and they moved around a lot. Studied at home. Admitted to college in Lahore.
Contrasts Muslim university with British run university. Story about fellow student in purdah.
2.44 Discusses family association with England.
3.41 It so happened that when I was teaching in Fiji Islands…after the war there was a lack of teachers and I applied to the Home Office….to come and teach in England…in 1963
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Teaching in Fiji and then deciding to study for a PhD in UK.
Couldn’t find work at first in England. Story about recording impressions of England at BBC.
2.40 Found a job in a primary school.
3.57 The City of Birmingham interviewed me and I remember coming in 1964….Story about interview and questions about Western music.
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I was appointed as an asst. teacher at Upper Thomas Street School in Aston….and for 2 years I was on a probation, then finally….I was confirmed as a qualified teacher.
41” The first 2 years in Birmingham were that I couldn’t understand my class whatever they were saying because the accent was so different….Story about conversation with headmaster regarding communication problems.
1.49 I had to find a place to live and I encountered definitely prejudice…Story about being shunned when trying to look at a property.
Caretaker at school found him a 1 bedroom flat.
2.53 My wife and son who were living in Fiji at that time, I had to bring them here….arrived on 30th May 1964…I wanted to have a house of my own and in those days in England, houses were cheap…the local people who were living already were exploiting the immigrants in many ways and they raised the prices of the houses….
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Describes son and his academic achievements.
1.11 I went to teach at Audley Junior School…but I was the only black teacher in fact and many of the English parents were surprised to see a black man teaching in a British school… Story about teaching Indian stories in class. Difficulty with one parent who was a policeman.
3.03 This prejudice was apparent, now it has gone underground. I am sure it is still there but it has been minimised in a way, but that is what I encountered myself.
3.23 Wife’s experiences in England. Divorced in 1970. Became a nurse.
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Early days of teaching at Upper Thomas Street School. The headmaster was very much a Christian…they didn’t mention even any other religion… Story about having to participate in a Bible reading and feeling ill at ease.
1.51 Taught 11+ class for some years.
2.20 Position created to take responsibility for the social welfare of immigrants. I was transferred to Wilkes Green School where my job was to look after the immigrant community…
3.31 Story about trying to encourage a female West-Indian pupil to study further.
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Interested to preach Islam at that school. Converted a colleague to Islam. Made the local news because it was something unusual.
1.13 Story about meeting second wife who became an Ahmadiyya Muslim.
3.57 In those days it was not very common to see a relationship of other cultures and people….
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Continues thoughts on Angela.
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I come from a very religious family, particularly the family who is responsible for introducing organised Islam in the missionary form to UK…..Now Ahmadiyya Muslim Association is a new movement started in 1989…. Details how the movement evolved.
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So at my house when I was a founder member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association in the City of Birmingham…and established an advice bureau where people can come and sought advice for immigration problems, police problems…..
45” I became the first Pakistani representative of the Muslim Pakistani community on the City of Birmingham Race Relations committee…I remained a member from 1972 to 1975… Describes the Council and how it didn’t reflect the religious diversity of the city.
2.14 I became the founder member of the East Birmingham community Health Council…. Details some of the obstacles to be overcome.
4.24 When I was here I saw that there were no councillors who were of Asian origin….so I approached the Labour Party…. Story about standing for election in 1981.
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Continues story.
1.06 now within the schools I realised that we were teaching the languages of German, French and there was no provision to teach Urdu, Punjabi….Story about introducing these languages to schools.
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Continues story.
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Reflects on his thwarted attempts at promotion.
3.04 And then when I carved my own way into the Urdu languages I was finally appointed on a very high scale in Joseph Chamberlain College….
4.30 Explains what the Ahmadiyya Movement is about.
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Continues to explain.
1.44 We say that we are not against any religion in fact. I always tell people that I am a Hindu, and a Muslim and a Christian and a Jew….distinguishes between Ahmadiyya Muslims and other Muslims.
4.12 Story about challenge to Billy Graham in 1984.
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Continues story.
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Reflects on generation gap of earlier immigrants and their British-born descendants.
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51” I am against teaching religion in schools. What I am in favour of, it is my personal view that the future educationalists or societies should teach….one subject called moral training….Elaborates on this idea.
2.29 Defines own identity.
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Continues definition. I call myself a citizen of the world….
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I retired completely from Joseph Chamberlain College…in 1999…Helps asylum seekers, conducts classes. Thinking of moving to Belgium where son now lives. Speaks of grandchildren and their multi-lingualism.
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Final comments on Ahmadiyya Movement.
ENDS |