Interest in Islam is rising among Hong Kong's Chinese population, with more joining courses about the religion, says the head of a committee charged with propagating the Muslim faith in the city.
Kasim Ma Fung-wai, chairman of the Da'wah (Islamic propagation) committee of the Islamic Union of Hong Kong, organises courses about Islam for the public and in schools. He said the number of people attending the public classes had increased in the past few years.
'Hong Kong people are more interested in Islam, but converting is different,' the 67-year-old said.
There was a steady number of converts each year, he said, though he could offer no exact figure for conversions.
'The converts are mainly Christians or people who want to marry a Muslim,' Ma said.
There are about 300,000 Muslims in Hong Kong, with most coming from Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Middle East or Africa. A spokesman for the Hong Kong Chinese Islamic Federation estimated the number of Chinese Muslims in the city at 50,000, but Ma said the figure is closer to 20,000.