London

Britain’s long-standing colonial and post-colonial relationships with the cities in Asia documented in the project have inevitably meant it has been an important migratory destination for their peoples. In the 1920s and 1930s, Jews fleeing the rise to power of the Bolsheviks in central Asia and the increasingly anti-Semitic policies of the Afghan state, settled in London. Jewish families from Bukhara, Herat, and Samarkand, rapidly established businesses in the City of London importing carpets and karakul furs from Afghanistan and the Soviet Union; they also founded sites of community life, notably a synagogue. Given the small number of families who came to London, and the emigration of some of these to Canada, the USA, and Israel, the institutions they established in the 1920s had largely disappeared by the 1980s.

In the context of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the civil war that tore apart the country in the 1990s, Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims sought refuge in London. Having been a prominent feature of the bazaars of Afghanistan’s major cities, Sikhs and Hindus soon established themselves as market traders and import-export merchants in the city. They often worked in markets in London side-by-side with Muslims from the country. These communities have now established a diverse range of temples, gurdwaras, mosques, and cultural as well as charitable institutions that play a vital role in the preservation of their distinct cultural and religious heritage and the maintenance of their ongoing connections with Afghanistan.

What challenges and opportunities did these communities face when establishing their businesses and places of worship in a new country?

Magnus Marsden, Principal Investigator: On the one hand, these communities have been able to use the skills and aptitudes they learned as traders to establish various commercial activities in one of the world’s ‘global cities’. Afghanistan’s Jews used their knowledge of the fur trade to broker relations between the great fur companies of the 1920s with Afghanistan, for example. On the other hand, they have had to struggle to gain citizenship, faced racism and connected forms of exclusion, and suffered due to a lack of wider public awareness about their distinctive pasts.
Sikh and Hindu faiths are mainly associated with India, so Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities often come as a surprise. Could you explain their distinctions and why they are often overlooked in portrayals of the country?

Magnus Marsden, Principal Investigator: Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan have lived in the country for centuries. They were fully integrated in rural and urban life in the country and thus followed practices and spoke languages that reflect that wider cultural milieu. At the same time, however, both communities were well-connected to their co-religionists in India and their religious lives have closely reflected religious change and transformation in that country. Moska Najib, Principal Photographer: I feel their existence is often overlooked because Afghanistan’s story is usually told through the lens of Islam and conflict. The presence of Sikh and Hindu communities complicates that dominant narrative, pushing them into the background. But their resilience and struggles, especially in recent decades, are crucial to understanding Afghanistan’s broader diversity.

What challenges and opportunities did these communities face when establishing their businesses and places of worship in a new country?

Magnus Marsden, Principal Investigator: On the one hand, these communities have been able to use the skills and aptitudes they learned as traders to establish various commercial activities in one of the world’s ‘global cities’. Afghanistan’s Jews used their knowledge of the fur trade to broker relations between the great fur companies of the 1920s with Afghanistan, for example. On the other hand, they have had to struggle to gain citizenship, faced racism and connected forms of exclusion, and suffered due to a lack of wider public awareness about their distinctive pasts.
Sikh and Hindu faiths are mainly associated with India, so Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities often come as a surprise. Could you explain their distinctions and why they are often overlooked in portrayals of the country?

Magnus Marsden, Principal Investigator: Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan have lived in the country for centuries. They were fully integrated in rural and urban life in the country and thus followed practices and spoke languages that reflect that wider cultural milieu. At the same time, however, both communities were well-connected to their co-religionists in India and their religious lives have closely reflected religious change and transformation in that country. Moska Najib, Principal Photographer: I feel their existence is often overlooked because Afghanistan’s story is usually told through the lens of Islam and conflict. The presence of Sikh and Hindu communities complicates that dominant narrative, pushing them into the background. But their resilience and struggles, especially in recent decades, are crucial to understanding Afghanistan’s broader diversity.

Jack Abrahams

Jack Abrahams joined Whittingehame - a Jewish boarding school located in Brighton on the South Coast of England - in 1957, arriving from Israel after emigrating from Kabul, Afghanistan. His family, with a centuries-old trade in furs and carpets, was deeply rooted in Afghanistan’s Jewish heritage.
At Whittingehame, Jack formed close, “brotherly” friendships and maintained ties with Afghan Jews in London, including a fur merchant who served as his guardian. After leaving in 1962, he moved to New York, joining his brother in trade before expanding into the jewellery business, specialising in rubies and emeralds. A leader in New York’s Afghan Jewish community, he served as President of the Anshei Shalom synagogue and credits Whittingehame for shaping his confidence and global perspective.

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David Khafi

David Khafi was born in Herat, Afghanistan, and moved to Bombay at the age of seven, where his father traded in carpets, dried fruits, and other goods. In 1950s London, a Jewish merchant from Afghanistan helped him settle in after his arrival at Whittingehame. At the school, David built lasting friendships while staying connected to his Afghan Jewish roots. After leaving, he relocated to Milan, where his family had settled, and established a successful career trading precious stones across Europe. His story highlights the role of Whittingehame in fostering transnational ties and lasting connections within a global Jewish diaspora.

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David Khafi

What challenges and opportunities did these communities face when establishing their businesses and places of worship in a new country?

Magnus Marsden, Principal Investigator: On the one hand, these communities have been able to use the skills and aptitudes they learned as traders to establish various commercial activities in one of the world’s ‘global cities’. Afghanistan’s Jews used their knowledge of the fur trade to broker relations between the great fur companies of the 1920s with Afghanistan, for example. On the other hand, they have had to struggle to gain citizenship, faced racism and connected forms of exclusion, and suffered due to a lack of wider public awareness about their distinctive pasts.
Sikh and Hindu faiths are mainly associated with India, so Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities often come as a surprise. Could you explain their distinctions and why they are often overlooked in portrayals of the country?

Magnus Marsden, Principal Investigator: Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan have lived in the country for centuries. They were fully integrated in rural and urban life in the country and thus followed practices and spoke languages that reflect that wider cultural milieu. At the same time, however, both communities were well-connected to their co-religionists in India and their religious lives have closely reflected religious change and transformation in that country. Moska Najib, Principal Photographer: I feel their existence is often overlooked because Afghanistan’s story is usually told through the lens of Islam and conflict. The presence of Sikh and Hindu communities complicates that dominant narrative, pushing them into the background. But their resilience and struggles, especially in recent decades, are crucial to understanding Afghanistan’s broader diversity.

What challenges and opportunities did these communities face when establishing their businesses and places of worship in a new country?

Magnus Marsden, Principal Investigator: On the one hand, these communities have been able to use the skills and aptitudes they learned as traders to establish various commercial activities in one of the world’s ‘global cities’. Afghanistan’s Jews used their knowledge of the fur trade to broker relations between the great fur companies of the 1920s with Afghanistan, for example. On the other hand, they have had to struggle to gain citizenship, faced racism and connected forms of exclusion, and suffered due to a lack of wider public awareness about their distinctive pasts.
Sikh and Hindu faiths are mainly associated with India, so Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities often come as a surprise. Could you explain their distinctions and why they are often overlooked in portrayals of the country?

Magnus Marsden, Principal Investigator: Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan have lived in the country for centuries. They were fully integrated in rural and urban life in the country and thus followed practices and spoke languages that reflect that wider cultural milieu. At the same time, however, both communities were well-connected to their co-religionists in India and their religious lives have closely reflected religious change and transformation in that country. Moska Najib, Principal Photographer: I feel their existence is often overlooked because Afghanistan’s story is usually told through the lens of Islam and conflict. The presence of Sikh and Hindu communities complicates that dominant narrative, pushing them into the background. But their resilience and struggles, especially in recent decades, are crucial to understanding Afghanistan’s broader diversity.

What challenges and opportunities did these communities face when establishing their businesses and places of worship in a new country?

Magnus Marsden, Principal Investigator: On the one hand, these communities have been able to use the skills and aptitudes they learned as traders to establish various commercial activities in one of the world’s ‘global cities’. Afghanistan’s Jews used their knowledge of the fur trade to broker relations between the great fur companies of the 1920s with Afghanistan, for example. On the other hand, they have had to struggle to gain citizenship, faced racism and connected forms of exclusion, and suffered due to a lack of wider public awareness about their distinctive pasts.
Sikh and Hindu faiths are mainly associated with India, so Afghan Sikh and Hindu communities often come as a surprise. Could you explain their distinctions and why they are often overlooked in portrayals of the country?

Magnus Marsden, Principal Investigator: Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan have lived in the country for centuries. They were fully integrated in rural and urban life in the country and thus followed practices and spoke languages that reflect that wider cultural milieu. At the same time, however, both communities were well-connected to their co-religionists in India and their religious lives have closely reflected religious change and transformation in that country. Moska Najib, Principal Photographer: I feel their existence is often overlooked because Afghanistan’s story is usually told through the lens of Islam and conflict. The presence of Sikh and Hindu communities complicates that dominant narrative, pushing them into the background. But their resilience and struggles, especially in recent decades, are crucial to understanding Afghanistan’s broader diversity.