The city was one of the main ports where Bengali Muslim 'laskars' would jump ship and then go on to work in steel mills in Bethlehem or Chester.
The history of South Asian American immigration wouldn’t be the same without the ports of Philadelphia
When the walk gets to the Race Street Pier, the guide pulls out an article from The Inquirer, dated Dec. 25, 1903. The headline reads: “While Christians sing ‘Peace on Earth, ‘Laskar on Tanker at Point Breeze Will Cry ‘Allah Il Allah,’ Because the Day Is Their Sabbath.” The mention of South Asian seamen called “laskars” or “lascars” working on British and European ships in The Inquirer goes back to the mid- to late 1800s.
The Inquirer journalists would often report on the laskars’ food habits, rituals — taking note of their goat sacrifices, prayer rituals, and hairstyles. “One of the strangest religious ceremonies ever witnessed in this city took place yesterday on board the German steamer Guthenfels when a live sheep was sacrificed in accordance with the rites of their faith in the presence of a crew of lascars,” reads a report from May, 1906.
There is some writing on the North Indians who came to California in the early 20th century until the Immigration Act of 1917 was passed. “And then there was just this assumption that no one was here until 1965, when the Immigration and Nationality Act was passed,” Bald said. This act paved the path for “highly skilled” immigrants and professionals from India to come to the States.
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