Demographically, Hong Kong has more women than men. Along this gender line is a large number of Muslim women. Many of them are from the mainland, the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, Africa, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Some are born and raised in Hong Kong.

Muslim women wearing traditional clothes is not a rare scene on city street. Edmond Tang

Although Hong Kong, as a former British colony, has a large population of Chinese Christians, it also has a population of Muslim migrant workers who practise their faith and wear head coverings known as hijabs.

There is also an ethnic Chinese Muslim community.

In this instalment, let's take a look at the lives of two professional and successful Muslim women who call Hong Kong their home.

Ethnic Chinese Muslims

Jasmine Yeung admits it was difficult for her family to accept her Muslim faith. Appearing on a Sunday morning in Central in a corner with a crowd of domestic workers already gathering on their only day-off, Yeung is a petite woman in a vibrant pink hijab and frameless glasses.

Her story is unique as Yeung is an ethnic Chinese, born a Muslim, with roots tracing back several generations to North China where perhaps she believes her family might belong to an ethnic Chinese Muslim minority.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Yeung attended a well-known private Christian school in accordance with the wish of her mother, who preferred the school for its quality education and not religious. When asked what it was like to be a Muslim at a Christian school, she admits that she grew up pretending to have no religion.

"Even when they ask you to study the scripture, there's nothing wrong with that." For Yeung, it was like studying history that adds to her understanding of Islam. She returned from dentistry school in New Zealand in 1999 and independently decided to study Islam in 2002.

Yeung, who chooses to wear a hijab in her leisure time, says her conspicuous headdress contributes to a general feeling of difference for Muslim women living in appearance-conscious Hong Kong. Although it rarely poses a physical threat, there is, she says, an inexplicable feeling of being seen as "oppressed or a bit strange." She believes that Islam's negative image in Hong Kong explains why her family prefers that she blends in with the majority of Chinese locals.

A bit of Chinese history

Zang Xiaowei, professor of Asian and International Studies at the City University of Hong Kong (CUHK), emphasizes that ethnic Chinese Muslim is a very small population. Two main groups of Chinese Muslims are the Hui and Uygurs.

Susan Selwyn-Khan (right) with her friends. Courtesy of Susan Selwyn-Khan

The largest Chinese Muslim group, said Zang, migrated from Persia to China in the 7th to 14th century and worked as militia, merchants and officials for the Chinese government. A 2000 census found nearly 9.82 million Hui, establishing them as the third largest minority group in China.

The second largest group is the Uygurs, a group perhaps to which Yeung's family belongs, is a Turkish group with their own language and customs. Although there is a controversy over the origins of this particular group of Chinese Muslims, they live mostly in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Although a 2000 Census found nearly 8.35 million Uygurs in Xinjiang, this population in Hong Kong remains very small. According to the SAR government statistics, Hong Kong has about 90,000 Muslims, of whom about 30,000 are ethnic Chinese.

In Chinese Muslim families, women hold a very high status, Zang said. "They think they respect women more than Han People."

He explained that Muslim Chinese families are more hierarchical - the mother's word carries more weight in family decisions whereas urban Han families tend to listen to father more.

Zang also pointed out that "young Hui and young Uygur are less religious than their older generation."

"Urban Hui and urban Uygur," he said, "are less religious than their rural counterparts. This may have something to do with modernization and urbanization."

Nevertheless, these Muslim groups enjoy positive benefits. Following a controversy in 2000, Uygur community is allowed to have two or three children per family.

Pakistani Muslims and Muslim converts

Susan Selwyn-Khan represents a different story. She is an English woman, who came to Hong Kong 20 years ago as the deputy CEO of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx), and now runs an international consultancy firm. She converted to Islam when she married a now-retired Pakistani General.

Answering questions via email from a trip in Pakistan, Selwyn-Khan, who identifies herself as a moderate Shia Muslim, is enthusiastic about her faith. Like many practitioners, she interprets independently how much of Islam she agrees with: "I became a Muslim after my marriage 10 years ago, of my own will and out of respect for my husband and his family ... I even took Cambridge University GCE O level exam in Islamic Studies - an exam that most 16-year-olds in Pakistan take!" she says.

Although she pays respect to the hijab, she disagrees with Yeung: "It is a personal and individual matter. I would never wear one myself. But as long as the face is not fully covered people can wear what they like."

Historically, Pakistani Muslims were brought by British colonialists to Hong Kong to work as security guards and police officers. Within the female Muslim Pakistani community, Selwyn-Khan believes "there is no one type of Muslim lady in Hong Kong because there are many different backgrounds. Taking Pakistani Islamic people, there are very rich and very un-hijabbed Pakistani ladies to the other end of the spectrum".

Many of the interviewees agreed that Muslim women in Hong Kong are "equal". Indeed, there are classes offered in the city where young men and women can study the Koran. And a modern standard Arabic class is offered to the general public at Hong Kong University.

As Zang points out, money flows into Hong Kong from the Middle East (namely Saudi Arabia) for building mosques. Along with the growth of Islamic finance in the city, it might be in the interest of the business community to start brushing up their Arabic skills.

Varied community

Jasmine Yeung. Courtesy of Jasmine Yeung

Identifying a precise Muslim community in Hong Kong, nevertheless, is a difficult task as much of the population is divided along cultural lines. Selwyn-Khan believes there is no one type of Muslim lady in Hong Kong because there are many different backgrounds. "It comprises many different communities with different views, cultures and linguistic backgrounds," she explains.

Yeung admits that it is difficult for her to relate to some Muslims who do not respond to her traditional greetings on the street, especially if she is not wearing a hijab. She cites a cultural difference that is often based on ethnic appearance as much as it is based on religious dress.

"I guess it might be a bit difficult for Hong Kong Chinese Muslim girls to meet Hong Kong Chinese Muslim boys as there is no outward identification in daily life," says Selwyn-Khan.

Comfortable in Hong Kong

If there was one concern for Selwyn-Khan, it would be the limited choice of halal food and the availability of mosques. She believes that "it is up to the communities themselves to make changes in this area".

"It is very easy to be anything in Hong Kong. Anyone can follow any religion because it is a tolerant and international city," says Selwyn-Khan, "I have been here for 20 years and do not know when I will leave!"

(HK Edition 05/27/2008 page4)