CUHK
News Centre

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has recently held the first Islamic Cultural Festival (the Festival) on campus, aiming to present Islamic culture and encourage inter-cultural interaction through a wide variety of activities, including a tour of mosques, documentary screening, painting workshop, booths and talks.  The event was co-hosted by the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) and the Centre for the Study of Islamic Culture at CUHK, supported by the Islamic Cultural Association (Hong Kong) and Dawah Committee of the Islamic Union of Hong Kong. 

Islam is the world’s second largest religion with more than one billion followers, of whom nearly 200,000 live in Hong Kong.  Prof. Joseph Sung, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, highlighted at the opening ceremony the significance of showcasing a real picture of Islamic culture to the campus community and even to the general public so as to enhance mutual understanding among people from different cultural or religious backgrounds.  The opening ceremony was enriched by the presence of representatives of Muslim organizations in Hong Kong and enlivened with the singing of Islamic songs by Indonesian ladies and CUHK Muslim students and a Muslim martial arts performance. 

One-stop Islamic Culture Experience 

The Cultural Square of CUHK exuded an Islamic atmosphere where Islamic art work displays, costume fitting, halal food tasting, Arabic calligraphy, and other features were on offer.  Not only were the visitors engrossed by the Islamic art pieces such as a Qur’an manuscript, a Uygur translation of the Qur’an, an ablution pot and many more, but they were also surprised to see how their names looked in Arabic translated in an art form by a ‘magic wand’ waved by an Arabic calligraphy teacher, which made a unique bookmark for each name.  Participants also enjoyed the interactions with the Muslim students from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and India, who presented their cultures through pictures, home-made snacks, henna painting and traditional costumes and musical instruments.  Visitors also had the chance to taste many kinds of halal food and try on Arabic clothes and hijabs (headscarves for Muslim females). 

Kairat Eshbolotov, a student from Kyrgyzstan, felt excited to be engaged in the Festival. ‘Being part of this long-awaited, first campus-wide student activity about Islamic culture was truly a great honour to me.  I was raised in a country with Islam as the major religion and I hope to let more people know about the different facets of Islam by showcasing Kyrgyzstani culture, food, and clothes.  We had memorable contacts with the visitors and are grateful to the organizers for making the event happen.’  

Islamic Culture from Different Perspectives 

Four lectures were featured in the Festival covering distinctive topics, including ‘Islam is not ISIS’, how headscarves show the rights and status of Muslim women, Islamic law and Islamic countries along the Silk Road.  There was also a documentary screening giving an objective introduction to the religion. 

Participants also had the chance to experience Islamic culture through their eyes and hands.  The visits to the Jamia Mosque in Central and the Masjid Ammar in Wan Chai let them understand Islamic history and its development in Hong Kong.  There was also an Ebru (water marbling) painting workshop for them to try their hand at this marvelous Turkish art and to understand its role in the Islamic world. 

To review the highlights of the Islamic Cultural Festival, please visit www.facebook.com/CUHKCulturalEncounters.