RELIGION AND CUSTOM
Indonesia and Middle Eastern and African countries. Four principal masajid are used daily for prayers. The oldest is the Jamia Masjid in Shelley Street on Hong Kong Island, which was established before the turn of the century and rebuilt in 1915. It can accommodate a congregation of 400.
The Masjid Ammar and Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre, filling eight storeys in Wan Chai, was opened in 1981 and houses a masjid on two floors, a community hall, a library, a medical clinic, classrooms and offices. The masjid is managed by the Islamic Union of Hong Kong and accommodates 700 people but can hold up to 1 500 by using other space in the centre.
The Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre, on what is sometimes called the 'Golden Mile' in Nathan Road, was opened in 1984 and replaced a masjid built in 1896. This imposing building, with white marble finishing, is a distinctive landmark in Tsim Sha Tsui. The masjid can hold about 2 000 worshippers and has three prayer halls, a community hall, a medical clinic and a library.
Hong Kong Island has two Muslim cemeteries, one at Happy Valley and the other at Cape Collinson, Chai Wan. The Cape Collinson cemetery also has a masjid. The co-ordinating body for all Islamic religious affairs is the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong, a public charity. 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 masajid and cemeteries. The trustees are also responsible for organising the celebration of Muslim festivals and other religious events. Charitable work among the Muslim community, including financial aid for the needy, medical facilities and assisted education, is conducted through various local Muslim organisations.
The Hindu Community
The religious and social activities of Hong Kong's 12 000-strong Hindu Community are centred on the Hindu Temple in Happy Valley. The Hindu Association of Hong Kong is responsible for the upkeep of the temple, which is also used for meditation periods, spiritual lectures, yoga classes and other community activities as well as the observance of major Hindu festivals such as Diwali, Dussehra, Holi and so on. Naming, engagement and marriage ceremonies are performed at the temple according to Hindu rites. Devotional music sessions and religious discourses are held every Sunday morning and Monday evening. The Sunday sessions are followed by a free community meal.
The Hindu Temple is an approved place of worship for the performance of marriages under the Marriage Ordinance (Chapter 181).
Other important services rendered by the temple include administration of last rites, arrangements for cremation and related ceremonies and the general upkeep of the Hindu crematorium at Cape Collinson.
The Sikh Community
The Sikhs distinguished by their stylised turbans and unshorn hair came to Hong Kong from the Punjab, in North India, as part of the British Armed Forces in the 19th century. Because of their generally strong physique, they also comprised a large segment of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force before World War II.
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