Spanning ten days, the Third Islamic Cultural Festival at the Chinese University of Hong Kong(CUHK) ended on 20 November 2018. This year the festival comprised a series of activities, including Arabic Calligraphy Workshop, Festivities Day, talks on Islam and a tour of mosques. Through these various activities, it was attempted to present Islamic culture – with its breadth and depth – from multidimensional perspectives, for instance, from inner faith to daily practices, from classroom activity to field study, and from local to international dimensions.

The Festivities Day held on 13 November at the Cultural Square was the highlight of the entire programme. On that day seven booths were erected at the square, welcoming visitors. In the booths of China, Central Asia, South Asia and the Mediterranean, visitors had a glimpse of the multiple forms of Islamic culture in different parts of the world. At the booth of Halal Food they had a taste of local Halal delicacies. They took photos of their smiling faces at the booth of “Smile is Charity” which articulated the importance of smile in Islamic teachings. Finally, at the booth of Arabic Calligraphy, they were offered ‘tailor-made’ Arabic calligraphy bookmarks. The Opening Ceremony of the festival took place at lunch time and was followed by performances, including the recitation of the Qur'an and the Call to Prayer, playing of musical instruments as well as performance of Chinese Kung Fu.

Perhaps the mosque tour was the most popular event, attracting more than forty participants. Not only did they visit Kowloon Mosque and Masjid Ammar, but they also attended talks on Islamic culture and savoured Halal Dim Sum. In the course of the event, Muslims and non-Muslims had the opportunity to interact with each other. Finally, the participants observed Muslims’ congregational prayer. At the end some did convey that they found the tour very beneficial and hoped to be able to learn more about Islam in the future.

The other activities making up this year’s Islamic Cultural Festival were as follows:

• Arabic Calligraphy Workshop on 10 November;

• Talk, “A brief Introduction to Islam”, on 16 November;

• Talk, “The World of the Qur'an”, on 19 November;

• Talk, “Who is the Prophet Muhammad”, on 20 November.

As in the past years, the Third Islamic Cultural Festival aimed to promote inter-cultural exchanges on campus, and enhance the understanding of Islamic culture among the CUHK community as well as the public.

Hosted by the Centre for the Study of Islamic Culture, CUHK, the Third Islamic Cultural Festival, was supported by a number of local Muslim groups, including Islamic Cultural Association (Hong Kong), Islamic Union of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Muslim Women Association and Hong Kong Islamic Youth Association. These Muslim bodies participated in the festival in one way or another. The Festivities Day was partially sponsored by the Internationalization Activity Fund of the Office of Student Affairs, CUHK.