ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the Mosque and the 'Pakistan Association, Edinburgh and the East of Scotland' (P.A.E.E.S.), the two other social institutions that operate as agencies of social control in Edinburgh's Pakistani community. It gives a general historical account of the institutionalisation of Islamic religious life in Edinburgh, with a particular focus on the Pilrig Mosque. The chapter examines the social organisation of the Sabaq-class within the Pilrig Mosque and its role in the socialisation of the British-born Pakistani children to Islamic beliefs and rituals. After analysing the social consequences of the Sabaq-class for the social bonding of Pakistani children, it focuses on congregational worship and the celebration of religious festivals and the ways that their related sermons and rituals create a sense of community among the participants. In early 1950s there were less than ten Muslim families in Edinburgh. There were no arrangements for the weekly Jom'a prayer or for the two annual prayers of Eid-ul-Fiter and of Eid-ul-Qzha.
