Is the construction business gradually falling out of the hands of Bangladeshis?

Since 9/11 many people have not felt comfortable hiring Muslim contractors to work in their homes. Prior to then, Americans had confidence in Bangladeshi construction workers and contractors. Owners would commonly make duplicate house keys and give them to Bangladeshi workers for use while they worked on the job.

Now only a few households handover keys; and among those that give keys, many are given at the beginning of a workday, but then taken back again at the end of the day. It’s as if they don’t want their house constantly available to Bangladeshi Muslim contractors.

At one time Italians dominated as contractors and construction laborers. After that the Irish and the Greeks were prominent in the industry. That means that as the Italians prospered they gave up on construction work and moved on to other professions. After their exit from this profession the Indian and Pakistanis started that work. Indians are not in this profession right now: Bangladeshis took over their place in the 1990s.

Concerned Americans would feel safer if they could offer construction jobs to reliable Bangladeshi contractors. Bangladeshis could earn this kind of confidence by demonstrating that they are responsible and by completing their work with honesty and punctuality: the same qualities essential in any professional business. Bangladeshi involvement in construction in the four boroughs of the city had increased gradually. By the middle of 1998, the number of Bangladeshi contractors increased to over 300; more than 10,000 Bangladeshis worked construction jobs. This profession was quickly seen as a major way of fulfilling Bangladeshi expatriate dreams. Most of the workers earn $100 a day by working 7 to 8 hours. The annual income of the contractors also increased. Bangladeshis started making progress through the construction business. Several areas of Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens became known as the commercial place of Bangladeshis. Bangladeshis became owners of several houses and commercial locations. Many who used to work as sub-contractors are today contractors. Similarly, some persons who were involved in this profession as workers have ultimately gotten their contractor licenses.

Observers feel that a silent revolution took place within the Bangladeshi community through this process. Its influence could be seen throughout the community, when the number of Bangladeshi New Yorkers involved in construction reached the numbers of Bangladeshi working as workers as cabbies. For this reason everyone is respectful profession in the construction industry has gained great respect in the community.

But Americans, particularly white people, often thought they were getting the best when they could hire a Bangladeshi contractor. They would show their utmost hospitality to the contractors from the day the work began. They would hand over the keys to their home and rarely even check on the work’s progress. Even during the 1980s, when there was an onslaught of arrests of illegal immigrants, American landlords and contractors used to help undocumented immigrants by cashing their checks.

“Generally I work for the government. I obtain work through competitive bids. We are not getting cordial cooperation like what we used to get prior to 9/11 in getting the bill for work paid, it seems that we are facing adversity in obtaining work,” said Hajji Abul Hashem, who has been in with construction business for over two decades. “It always seems that they are happy if we don’t do their job.” Hashem recalled a time when people felt assured the work would be done properly if a South Asian or Muslim was on the job. They knew there would be no negligence or dishonesty on the job. “Now that kind of confidence or faith is not there,” he said: “We understand this if we observe it deeply.”

Construction businessman Azad however disagreed, he said, “I have always I worked for Jewish employers. I never thought that they were looking at me in a different way. I feel that little has changed since 9/11.”

“Of course, I am in this business since 1984,” said construction businessman Mominul Haque. “I was in another profession for some time. I returned to this profession in 1998. I have never been subjected to step motherly attitudes. In fact the Americans love my work. They think about whether I have completed the work properly. I don’t feel that they think about who is Hindu, who is Muslim or Christian.”

Construction businessman Nazrul Islam believes that “this business indeed is under control of the Italians. They still get the lion share of contracts. Greeks follow the Italians. We Bangladeshis also get subcontracts from the Greeks. Similarly some Bangladeshis also obtain subcontracts from the Italians. We have marched forward in this way.

“Now Bangladeshi commercial vans are seen in the Church Mc Donald area, just like when Greek contractors used to wait for laborers in their cars. Back then, only those undocumented Bangladeshis who were bold would go to them and earn good wages.

For many, it is the Hispanic workers who have to earn the trust of American contractors the same way that Bangladeshis did. However, many Hispanics are now becoming contractors, while many are losing faith in us.

Abul Quasem, a construction businessman at Ozone Park, said, “The number of construction contractors or construction workers from our community in New York City cannot be measured in percentages in relation to the total number of construction contractors and laborers in New York. We are far less in numbers. The Italians still control this business. Greeks are also running side by side.”

Bronx-based construction businessman Hajji Sulaiman Bhuiyan said that all Muslims are being subjected to harassment due to the misdeeds of a few people. “I condemn the persons who are involved with the incident of 9/11. Islam never has given any indulgence to such kind of terrorism. Those who are involved with this terrorism may be Muslim in name, but in fact they are the enemy of this religion. Let us create resistance against them.”