There are about 90 000 Muslims in Hong Kong, of whom some 30 000 are
Chinese. The others are mostly locally born non-Chinese but there are also Muslims
from Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Middle Eastern and African countries.
The Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong, a
public charity, coordinates all of Hong Kong's Islamic religious activities. A board of
trustees, nominated by the Islamic Union of Hong Kong, the Pakistan Association,
the Indian Muslim Association and the Dawoodi Bohra Association, manages and
maintains the masjids, two cemeteries and one kindergarten. In addition, the trustees
organise Muslim festivals and other religious events. Charity work carried out by
members of the Muslim community, include providing financial aid to the needy,
medical facilities and education assistance, and is done through different Muslim
organisations.
The Chinese Muslim Cultural and Fraternity Association, established in 1922 in
Wanchai, is the major organisation representing Chinese Muslims in Hong Kong.
Apart from conducting religious activities, the association manages and maintains five
non-profit educational facilities: one college, two primary schools and two
kindergartens. The association also gives a helping hand to Chinese Muslims in Hong
Kong and on the Mainland.
Five principal masjids are used for daily prayers, the oldest being the Jamia
Masjid in Shelley Street on Hong Kong Island, which was built in 1849 and rebuilt in
1915 to make room for 400 worshippers.
The eight-storey Masjid Ammar and Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre,
managed by the Islamic Union of Hong Kong in Wan Chai, houses a masjid on two
floors, community hall, library, medical clinic, classrooms and offices, and can
accommodate between 700 and 1 500 people.
The imposing Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre, with its distinctive white
marble finish, is a major landmark in Tsim Sha Tsui. With three prayer halls,
community hall, medical centre and library, the masjid can accommodate 3 500
worshippers. There is also a masjid inside Stanley Prison.
There are two Muslim cemeteries, one in Happy Valley and the other, which also
has a masjid, at Cape Collinson, in Chai Wan.
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