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Jamia Mosque Guided Tour & Lunch Gathering

2019-06-18

Maritime Silk Road Society organized the “Jamia Mosque Guided Tour & Lunch Gathering” on 18 June. The event was attended by more than 20 members.

The event started with a Halal lunch at Maison Libanaise in SoHo, Central. Authentic dishes such as beef shawarma, rice pilaf, and Lebanese mint tea were served. Afterwards the group travelled up the Central–Mid-Levels escalator to the Jamia Mosque for the guided tour. The Jamia Mosque is also known as Lascar Temple, which was built in 1849, expanded from 1870 to 1890, and rebuilt in 1915. The Jamia Mosque is Hong Kong’s first mosque of the current five, and is classified as Grade I historic building in Hong Kong by the Antiquities Advisory Board. The prayer hall has a capacity of 360 people. Adjacent to the Mosque, the classical architecture of Imam’s residence (mosque leader) and ablution rooms gave a stark contrast to the surrounding modern high-rises. Hong Kong’s Muslims are comprised of Chinese and South Asians which occupied about 3% of total population, including Indonesian domestic helpers.

The tour of the Jamia Mosque was led by the Imam. Through Cantonese and English, he introduced the religion’s concept, history, and etiquettes. He also answered participant’s questions regarding gendered customs, Ramadan, and local Muslim culture. As the tour period coincided with “noon prayer” time, participants were able to witness one of the five prayers - Zuhr, which took around 7 minutes to complete. After the event, participants have deepened understanding of the religion, and took a step closer to discover the vibrant local Muslim community.