ENG-1978 — Page 259

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RELIGION AND CUSTOM

Muslim Community The Muslim community numbers about 30,000 followers of Islam. The majority are Chinese, with the rest from Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Middle East. During 1978 they gathered for prayers at the Shelley Street and Wong Nai Chung Road Mosques on Hong Kong Island and at the Nathan Road Mosque in Kowloon. The Wong Nai Chung Road Mosque was due for demolition by December, 1978, to make way for the Aberdeen tunnel project. However, the government has made available a site in Oi Kwan Road, Morrison Hill, for a new mosque.

The Shelley Street Mosque, the first to be built in Hong Kong, dates back to the early days of the introduction of the Islamic faith in the 1880s. It was rebuilt in 1915. The Nathan Road Mosque in Kowloon was built in 1896 for use by Muslim soldiers of the former Indian Army and was subsequently handed over to the local Muslim community. It is planned to replace this mosque with a beautiful new mosque.

Two places have been set aside by the government as burial grounds for Muslims. One is at Happy Valley and the other at Cape Collinson, Chai Wan, where another mosque is located.

The co-ordinating body for all religious affairs is the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong. A board of trustees, comprising representa- tives of the various sections of the Muslim community, is responsible for the manage- ment and maintenance of mosques and cemeteries. The trustees also are responsible for organising the celebration of Muslim festivals and other religious events. Charit- able work among the Muslim community, including financial aid for the needy, hospitalisation and assisted education, is conducted through a welfare committee working in close liaison with the board of trustees.

Other Religious Communities

The 8,000-strong Hindu community can trace its ties with Hong Kong back-to early settlement. Religious and social activities are centred around the Hindu Temple at Happy Valley. It is frequently visited by swamis and learned men from overseas who give spiritual lectures to the community. A number of festivals also are observed, the more important being the Holi Festival, the Birth of Lord Krishna, Shivaratri, Dessahara and Diwali.

The Hindu Association of Hong Kong is responsible for the upkeep of the temple, which also is used for meditation periods, yoga classes and teaching Hindi to the Indian community. Namings, engagements and marriages are performed at the temple according to Hindu customs. Religious music and recitals are performed every Sunday morning and Monday evening.

The Sikhs, numbering more than 2,000, are one of Hong Kong's most colourful minorities. Sporting stylised turbans and unshorn hair, they first came to Hong Kong in the early days as members of the British Armed Forces. Before World War II, a large segment of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force comprised Sikhs. Today members of the community are engaged in a variety of occupations.

The centre of their religious and cultural activities is the Sikh Temple in Wan Chai. A unique feature of the temple is that it provides free meals and short-term accom- modation to overseas' visitors of any faith. The main holy days and festivals observed are the birthdays of Guru Nanak (founder of the faith), Guru Gobind Singh (the 10th