Chinese Muslim leader urges Hong Kong government to support minorities

The Hong Kong government must work hard to create a better living environment and more school opportunities for ethnic minorities who have made the city their home, says a leader of the Chinese Muslim community.

Ebrahim Yeung Yee-woo, honorary secretary of the Chinese Muslim Cultural and Fraternal Association (CMCFA) , and one of the most influential Muslim organizations in the city, criticized Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying for "not showing much support" to the Muslim community.

He expressed that non-Chinese Muslims still face discrimination and struggle to adapt to life in Hong Kong.

Last month the Zubin Foundation think tank recommended that a top official such as the chief secretary or chief executive should spearhead a committee to address problems faced by ethnic minorities.

Educators also complain that Hongkongers who do not speak Chinese are increasingly looking to the mainland for post-secondary studies, while minority advocacy group Unison says some landlords appear reluctant to rent flats to families from ethnic minorities.

In an interview with the Post, Yeung suggests it is high time the government did more to help.

"After the 1997 handover, a lot of ethnic minority people came to Hong Kong. They struggle to adapt to life here and people look at them in a strange way," the 75-year-old complains. "The government should seek to improve their living environment."

When asked whether Leung has shown the Muslim community enough support, Yeung says: "There wasn't much. At least he should provide more schooling opportunities and help them with language learning because they see Hong Kong as their home."

According to official statistics, half of Hong Kong's 300,000 Muslims are Indonesian, followed by about 40,000 Chinese, 30,000 Pakistani and some Indians, Malaysians and Africans. These figures suggest Muslims account for roughly a third of the 600,000 non-Chinese residents in Hong Kong.



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