ENG-2010 — Page 450

380 | Religion and Custom

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 in Wan Chai, managed by the Islamic Union of Hong Kong, 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, Chai Wan.

During the year, the Holy Month of Ramadan lasts from August 12 to September 9, while the Eid-ul-Fitr is on September 10, and the Eid-ul-Adha is on November 17.

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, Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Hanuman Puja. 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 Punjab, India, as part of the British Armed Forces in the 19th century. The first Sikh temple, Siri Guru Singh Sabha, was established in 1901 in Queen's Road East, Wan Chai. The building was redeveloped in 1938 and renamed Sikh Temple, and is managed by the Khalsa Diwan, a registered charitable organisation. The present Sikh Temple is classified as a Grade III Historic Building. Due to the growing Sikh population in Hong Kong, there is an extension to the old temple, consisting of a kitchen and dining hall on the ground floor, a temple, social hall and staff quarters on the first floor, education and healthcare centre on the second floor and a recreation hall on the third floor.

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