Religion and Custom ❘ 369
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.
Hindu Community
The religious and social activities of the 40 000-strong Hindu community take place mainly in the Hindu Temple in Happy Valley. The Hindu Association of Hong Kong is responsible for the upkeep of the temple, which is used for meditation, spiritual lectures and community activities, including yoga classes and observance of major Hindu festivals such as Diwali, Dussehra and Holi. Engagement and marriage ceremonies (in accordance with the Marriage Ordinance) are performed in the temple according to Hindu rites. Other important services include the administration of last rites, making arrangements for cremation and related ceremonies and the maintenance of the Hindu crematorium at Cape Collinson.
Devotional music sessions and religious discourses are held every Sunday morning, followed by a free community meal which is also served on Monday evenings.
Sikh Community
The Sikhs came to Hong Kong from the Punjab, India, as part of the British Armed Forces in the 19th century.
There are now about 8 000 Sikhs in Hong Kong who conduct their religious and social activities in the Sikh Temple in Queen's Road East. The temple, which was