Muslim
Community
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visitors will have no difficulty in finding halal food. |
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 Hong Kong’s four mosques
pay tribute to the rich Muslim heritage that has existed in Hong Kong
since the late 19th Century. The first
group of Muslim settlers who arrived in Hong Kong were Chinese traders
who had been converted to Islam by Arabic merchants their forefathers
had encountered centuries before.
Today Hong Kong counts a large Muslim
population of more than 80,000 faithful featuring a multitude of cultures
from the main Muslims
centres of the world such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia,
Indonesia the Middle East and Africa. One of the great contributions
that this mixed bag of cultures has brought to Hong Kong, besides
the splendour of the local mosques, is the wonderful array of halal
cuisine and other assorted dishes on offer in Hong Kong from this
unique part of the world.
The Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community
Fund of Hong Kong, recognised by the Hong Kong Government
as the
governing body of local
Islamic affairs, has its offices in the Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic
Centre (7/F., 40 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Island).
The Board of Trustees
is responsible for the management and maintenance of mosques and
cemeteries, arrangements for the celebration of Muslim
festivals - including eid
el-Fitr and eid el-Adhha - and the supervision of charitable work.
Mosques
 Hong
Kong's first mosque was opened after the Islamic
faith was introduced locally in the early 1850s.
Shelley Street Mosque, complete with
its green and white minaret, is located in
the Mid-Levels and was built in 1915. It still
stands on its original site in Central.
Two other mosques
have been constructed in recent years. The Masjid Ammar forms part
of the Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre and is named after a Hong
Kong Muslim who helped to finance the project. Because of site limitations,
this eight-storey building departs from traditional Moorish design.
It has a single minaret, but no dome. In addition to the mosque,
the complex has a community hall, a library, conference rooms, a
clinic, a youth centre, a canteen and offices.
The third mosque is the HK$26-million Kowloon Mosque and
Islamic Centre and it’s located at 105 Nathan Road
in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. This
three-storey
building, with a handsome dome and four minarets, is
highlighted by marble grille work and decorative arches.
The mosque is located
on the edge of leafy Kowloon Park.
A fourth mosque, the Cape Collinson Mosque in Chai
Wan also includes a cemetery.
Travellers can check a prayer
timetable for each mosque here.
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