Peace be with you: 175 years of Islam in Hong Kong
In an increasingly Islamophobic world, Hong Kong - with its 250,000 Muslim residents - is a rare example of peaceful cultural co-existence. Stuart Heaver charts the Islamic community's history in the city
The terrorist atrocities in Paris on January 7 and the recent filmed executions by Islamic State have raised fears of a backlash against law-abiding Islamic communities. In Hong Kong, Muslims have been embedded in civic society since the first Indian lascars arrived on East India Company ships in the 1840s, but it hasn't always been plain sailing.
One hundred years ago today, the Indian Muslim 5th Light Infantry Regiment in Singapore, about to depart for garrison duties in Hong Kong, went on a rampage, killing 47 British soldiers and civilians. The Singapore Mutiny, as it was to become known, was inspired by a jihad (holy struggle) declared by Turkey, which had recently entered the first world war on Germany's side. The bloody incident sent shock waves through the British colonial establishment in Hong Kong.
In stark contrast to the vast media coverage and high-profile show of unity that followed the recent events in Paris, the Singapore Mutiny was quietly glossed over in the local press as a "riot" caused by "jealousy about promotions". Once quelled, the incident was played down - and for very good reason.
With many British soldiers and policemen having returned to Europe to fight on the Western Front, the colonial system was highly dependent on the so-called public protectors of Hong Kong; the mainly Muslim soldiers, policemen, prison officials and dockyard guards.
Neither anti-Islamic sentiment nor pro-Islamic fervour inspired by the violence in Singapore could be risked in wartime, so the loyalty and positive image of the Muslim population was never brought into question. Nor has it been since, in Hong Kong.