Administrative/biographical history

'We Weren't Expecting to Stay' was an oral history project by the organisation Everyday Muslim. The project collected and documented the presence of Muslims in Britain through images, interviews and documents. The aim was to start to build a comprehensive and unique portrayal of Muslim life that allowed the community to take ownership of their history and heritage. The 'We Weren't Expecting to Stay' project only sought to collect and create digital material; hard copies were not collected.

Everyday Muslim is part of the Khizra Foundation. The Foundation was formed in 2010 as an initiative to tackle the lack of representation of the Muslim community in the heritage sector. They aimed to support and empower the many generations of Muslims living in the UK to, build heritage-based roots and create channels of communication, expression of their identity and celebration of their contribution to society.

For the Everyday Muslim project, the Khizra Foundation partnered with Bishopsgate Institute, The Heritage Lottery Fund, and One (a branding agency). The project team included Sadiya Ahmed (lead), Dr Michelle Johansen (Bishopsgate Institute), Fatimah Amer, Irfan Ahmed (One agency), Saba Syed, Yahya Nurgat, Haneen Hammou and Emmy Tither.

Scope and content

Digital materials created and collected by Everyday Muslim for the 'We Weren't Expecting to Stay and Other Stories' project, an exploration of the South Asian migration to London 1950-2014. The project sought to document the presence of Muslims in the UK, (2014). The archive includes:

• Oral history interviews, (2014)
• Project archive, (2014).

Quantity

35 Digital folders.