Islam in Hong Kong: Muslims and Everyday Life in China World City

2. The history of Islam in Hong Kong

Riding on Hong Kong’s crowded but efficient Mass Transit Railway (MTR) underground system is an experience that personifies the modernism of Hong Kong. The trains, despite the estimated 4 million passengers they take every day, are noticeably clean, impressively frequent, and easily accessible. The mix of passengers indicates at once that Hong Kong is a Chinese city but it is also ethnically and socially mixed and is home to both the wealthy and the poor. All sorts of people use the MTR, for all sorts of trips to many different destinations. One very common everyday excursion is the cross-harbour journey from Hong Kong to Kowloon. The train arrives underground at the frenetic hub of activity that is East Tsim Sha Tsui. As passengers make their way up the escalators and through the station concourse there are a multitude of routes available to get you back to the city streets. Exit B1 delivers you on to Cameron Road. As one climbs the stairs and the passengers disperse, the view becomes dominated by the large dome of the Kowloon Mosque. For many visitors this vast ornate building is one of the first sights they will see as they tour around Hong Kong. It is peculiarly placed, amidst so much modern grandeur, so much neon signage, and the ever-present enticement to spend money, consume, and indulge. Yet there it stands as an undeniable affirmation of the historic importance of Muslims to Hong Kong and their continued presence and vitality in the territory. The mosque announces that Hong Kong is neither simply a Chinese city, nor that it is it a binary metropolis of East and West. It is prosaically a living hybrid territory. This chapter serves as a foundation for the rest of this book because it discusses the historical context of today’s Islamic community. It also provides a much-needed account of Muslims as minorities in Hong Kong. The fact that Muslims of different ethnicities have been contributing to the development of Hong Kong indicates the unquestionably longstanding diversity of the territory. Much of what is explored in these pages 2 The history of Islam in Hong Kong 22 Islam in Hong Kong underscores the Islamic institutions that exist today. There are tremendous differences between the early origins and status of Muslims in Hong Kong and the communities that presently exist in the city. However, many of the historic circumstances that are discussed remain relevant, if not crucial, to understanding the current Islamic community. This community is disparate, comprised of quite different ethnicities and cultures, ages and genders. Suggesting that Hong Kong has ‘a’ Muslim community is a problematic notion in itself. Some Muslims in the territory are here for a very brief time and engage very superficially with both Hong Kong and other Muslims. Representative of such temporary and disconnected engagement are some of the Indonesian domestic helpers, and also South Asian illegal workers in Chungking Mansions. However, as we shall see in the following chapters, there are some distinct concerns and experiences that are particular to Muslims in Hong Kong, despite their differences. I begin by discussing the first Muslims in the territory, who were sailors and merchants, and then show how the community has expanded as Muslims played a vital role in the defence and security of the colony. The transformations in Hong Kong itself chart the vicissitudes of the Islamic community. This is followed by a comparative analysis of the Islamic institutions in the territory, which provides a deeper insight to Figure 2 The Kowloon Mosque as viewed when exiting the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR (photo by author) The history of Islam in Hong Kong 23 the more general history of the community. In previous research these issues have not been covered together and this text therefore represents a valuable overview of the Islamic history of Hong Kong. These dynamics are carried over into Chapter 3 which reviews some of the recent transformations and current issues that have directly involved and affected Muslims since 1997. Origins The history of Islam in Hong Kong dates back to the early nineteenth century when Europeans trading in the South China Sea brought South Asian sailors and merchants to Guangzhou, Macau, and Kowloon. The presence of Muslims in the region dates back much further to the eighth century (Weiss 1991, p. 419) when Arabian, Persian, and South Asian traders visiting Guangzhou settled there. Over several generations...