bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Erika Na

Most Hongkongers will have seen it, but far fewer will have ventured inside. Out of the five main mosques in Hong Kong, the Kowloon Masjid – masjid meaning “mosque” in Arabic – is the largest in the city and the oldest in Kowloon.
Thousands of people pass it every day, given its prime location outside Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station’s A1 exit.
The neighbourhood is a must-visit area for tourists, where they can shop, dine and catch an amazing view of Victoria Harbour. For locals, it is a popular meeting place.
People do not notice the mosque just because of where it is. The large white square edifice features arabesque window decorations on all sides, making it instantly stand out from its surroundings.

A pointed dome protrudes from the centre of the structure’s roof, while minarets rise 11 metres (36 feet) from each of its four corners.
Many pedestrians, especially tourists, throw curious glances at the mosque from beyond the fence that separates the building from Nathan Road. Some even stop to discuss whether they should go and see what is inside.
For many non-Muslims, it is a mystery whether they are allowed in. Nearly all decide to keep walking.


Mufti Muhammad Arshad, the chief imam of Hong Kong, and the imam and khatib of the Kowloon Masjid since 2001, says everyone is welcome.
For many of the roughly 1.9 billion Muslims around the world, mosques are indispensable parts of their lives. It is where they can gather to pray, which they do facing Mecca, the birthplace of Islam’s founding prophet, Muhammad.
People also gather in mosques to celebrate the most important religious holidays, such as Eid al-Fitr, the day that marks the end of Ramadan.
The Kowloon Masjid was built in 1896 as a place of worship for Muslim soldiers in the British Army stationed nearby. The original mosque looked quite different, with many more smaller domes featuring narrow spires.
The current structure opened in 1984, after the original building was taken down having suffered damage during underground construction of the MTR, Hong Kong’s subway. The mosque now fits 3,500 worshippers and receives nearly 1 million visits a year.



What makes the mosque unique is the diversity of the Muslim community in Hong Kong. Although the 300,000 Muslims in the city make up but a small fraction of its total population of 7.5 million, they exhibit great ethnic diversity.
The largest group, at around half, are Indonesians – mostly foreign domestic helpers – followed by 50,000 Chinese and 30,000 Pakistanis, according to government estimates.
The remainder include Indians, Bangladeshis, Turks and people from various African countries.
Such diversity is best seen on Fridays, when the congregational noon prayer, called Jum’ah, is held. Jum’ah is mandatory for male Muslims and recommended for female Muslims.
The mosque’s prayer hall, a beautiful space with light green carpets, fills up completely with men of various ethnic backgrounds, ages and attires.
There are young black men with dreadlocks in African dashikis sitting next to elderly South Asian men with big, bushy beards wearing white Muslim robes and caps.


Women worshippers wearing hijabs gather in a separate space, as Islamic rules require men and women to pray separately.
The imam gives his sermon in three languages – Urdu, English and Arabic – to speak to all worshippers. Once the sermon is over, it is time for the prayer. Men stand shoulder to shoulder, holding their forearms with opposite hands with their eyes closed.
The chief imam chants first. When everyone in the hall chants back and prostrates at the same time, they are so in sync that it seems like they have become one large organism.
When they are all fully prostrated, their foreheads and noses touching the carpet, their ethnic and external differences vanish. It is an incredible sight, difficult to imagine for those who have not seen it.



While the older Muslims gather regularly in the mosque for prayers, younger ones come to study the Koran, the holy book of Islam, with tutors. Just like the prayer sessions, the lessons are divided between boys and girls.
The mood is much lighter here than in the prayer hall. Young boys, many of them wearing white Muslim caps, rock their bodies rhythmically as they sing verses from the Koran in Arabic.
It seems likely that these young Hongkongers will join the adults in the prayer hall in time, whether it be in the Kowloon Masjid, or at another mosque somewhere else in the world.


‘Birkin for the home’? How the humble blanket became a statement homeware piece – like the Kardashians’ and Meghan Markle’s Hermès Avalon throws

Inside 740 Park Avenue, where NYC’s richest make their homes: current and former residents of this iconic building include Vera Wang, billionaire David Koch and Jackie Kennedy Onassis

Attracting visitors to Hong Kong’s lesser-known districts with art – what to know about Design District Hong Kong

Inside the Rosewood Vienna: the luxury hotel’s neoclassical building was once home to Mozart – now with 100 rooms and suites, its central location makes it an excellent base for exploring the old town

Architecture and design

Inside historic Kowloon mosque, the biggest in Hong Kong, where Muslims from all over pray

Male attendees during Friday prayers at the Kowloon mosque. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The Kowloon Mosque and Islamic Centre in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood, where Muslims from around the world come together to pray and study. Photo: James Wendlinger

Male attendees during Friday prayers at the Kowloon Masjid in Tsim Sha Tsui, in May, 2024. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The Kowloon Masjid is the largest mosque in Hong Kong, and Kowloon’s oldest. Photo: Jonathan Wong

People use the staircase during Friday prayers at the Kowloon Masjid. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Mufti Muhammed Arshad, the chief imam of Hong Kong, addresses worshippers during Friday prayers at the Kowloon Masjid. Photo: Jonathan Wong

For the almost 2 billion Muslims around the world, mosques are an indispensable part of life. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The Kowloon Masjid in 1986. The first mosque on the site was built in 1896. Photo: SCMP

Attendees of Friday prayers at the Kowloon Masjid. On Fridays, the diversity of Hong Kong’s Muslim community is plain to see at the mosque. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Muslim women outside the Kowloon Masjid on Eid al-Fitr, the most important day in the Islam calendar, marking the end of Ramadan. Photo: Jelly Tse

Boys study the Koran, the holy book of Islam, with a tutor, at the Kowloon Masjid. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Like prayer sessions, boys and girls attend Koran study lessons at the Kowloon Masjid separately. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Boys wearing Muslim caps work at memorising verses from the Koran. Photo: Jonathan Wong

How daughter’s memoir of Chinese-American Kodak engineer, her ‘personal colossus’, became something bigger

After the loss of her father, Alexandra Chan set about writing her memoir, only to discover that her grief ran far deeper than his death. Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Chan

Robert Earl Chan as a young man. He flew himself to freedom on a mail plane after being imprisoned by the Japanese during the second world war. Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Chan

The cover of Alexandra Chan’s book. Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Chan

Alexandra Chan as a baby with her parents. Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Chan

Robert Earl Chan reading letters from home during the second world war. Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Chan

Just as Alexandra Chan was about to enter kindergarten, her father settled into retirement and became a stay-at-home dad. Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Chan

A young Alexandra Chan with her mother, Karen Elizabeth Smith. Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Chan

Robert Earl Chan grew up in Savannah in the US state of Georgia. Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Chan

“Scholars in a Clouded Gorge” by Alexandra Chan is one of the Chinese brush paintings that is featured in her memoir. Photo: Alexandra Chan

Chung T’ai Peng lived and died in the United States as Robert Chan. Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Chan

“In the Garden Behind the Moon” is split into eight “books”, which are each associated with a Chinese zodiac animal. The memoir opens with the Year of the Ram (2015). Photo: Alexandra Chan

Chung T’ai Peng with his family, including baby Robert Earl Chan (centre), in 1914. His oldest son, Archie, was the first Chinese-American baby born in the state of Georgia. Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Chan

Alexandra Chan’s father and mother at a gala for cancer survivors and their families. Her mother died from a blood cancer called multiple myeloma in 2011. Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Chan

In the first chapter of Alexandra Chan’s memoir, she writes about how a family trip to Iceland helped alleviate the grief she was feeling after her father’s death. Photo: courtesy of Alexandra Chan

Hong Kong is trying to be more Muslim-friendly. Here’s how it could do better

A Muslim family  buys a halal-certified KFC meal at the fast-food chain’s Chuang’s London Plaza store in Jordan on November 4, 2022. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Architect I.M. Pei never wanted a retrospective. How Hong Kong got to host one at last

Architect I.M. Pei in 2004. Photo: AFP

Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei poses for a portrait in front of the Louvre glass pyramid, which he designed, prior to its inauguration in Paris in 1989. Pei’s life and career are recalled in a major retrospective opening at M+, Hong Kong’s museum of visual culture. Photo: AP

People walk around the pyramid of the Louvre, designed by architect I.M. Pei, in 2017. Photo: AFP

Pei in 1976. Photo: Irving Penn, Vogue, Copyright Conde Nast

A photo of the Pei family (I.M. Pei third from left, back row) taken in Shanghai, in 1935. Photo: courtesy of Patricia Pei

Spiral staircase in the 2003 Pei Building extension to the German Historical Museum in Berlin. Photo: AP

The lamp Surya mentions, which was designed for the Fragrant Hill Hotel in Beijing, which opened in 1982. The lamp is pictured in the book of the retrospective, also titled I.M. Pei: Life Is Architecture. Photo: M+, Hong Kong

Pei with former first lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and other guests at the opening of the Fragrant Hill Hotel, 1982. Photo: Liu Heung Shing

 Suzhou Museum, in China’s Jiangsu province, designed by Pei. Photo: Xinhua

The Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, designed by Pei. Photo: Teresa Bergen

Pei’s Bank of China Tower, in Hong Kong, courted controversy because of its supposedly maledictory sharp angles. Photo: South Ho Siu Nam

Magazines

PostMag

Design & Interiors

Lifestyle

Arts & Culture

A Tsim Sha Tsui landmark, the Kowloon mosque hosts Muslim men – and women – from many different countries for prayer and study


Hong Kong’s largest mosque, the Kowloon Masjid, is a Tsim Sha Tsui landmark. Inside, Chinese Muslims pray shoulder to shoulder with others from across Asia and Africa, while children study the Koran.


Photography

Hong Kong

Religion

Photo essay