Interfaith Harmony – Islamic Research and Information Center (IRIC)

Hundreds of visitors attend Hong Kong’s first halal food festival

IRIC — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 12:09:14 +0000

Hundreds of people have flocked to Tsim Sha Tsui for Hong Kong’s first-ever halal food festival, in a vibrant celebration aimed at showcasing Muslim culture and building bridges between communities.

Organized by the Multicultural Ethnic-Link Teen Centre and the city’s halal certification board, the festival brought together 12 halal-certified food businesses, offering a wide range of cuisines.

Sohel Ahmed, a seasoned veteran in Hong Kong’s food industry, is bringing halal Italian cuisine to the city to offer a unique dining experience for everyone, regardless of their background. With over 30 years in the industry, Ahmed has adapted traditional Italian recipes to meet halal standards by replacing ingredients like wine with grape juice to maintain authenticity.

The event, which showcased his halal dishes, received praise for its freshness and organization. Attendees, including both locals and visitors, appreciated the authentic flavors and learned more about halal food culture, especially as it was prepared by Muslim chefs.

The Shangri-La hotel, which holds the highest level of halal-friendliness certification in Hong Kong, also participated. Director of operations Mark Bannon explained how their rice dumplings—prepared without pork in a halal kitchen—offered a Muslim-friendly twist on a Chinese classic.

The hotel received a five-star CrescentRating in halal-friendliness, which Bannon said has positively impacted their appeal to Muslim travelers.

In his 2024 Policy Address, Chief Executive John Lee pledged to boost Muslim-friendly travel.

As of March 2025, the number of halal-certified restaurants in Hong Kong has doubled, rising from about 100 to 200. More such festivals and initiatives are planned to further support cultural understanding and tourism.

Source: AboutIslam.net

US Muslim civil rights group welcomes recognition of ‘World Hijab Day’ in New York

IRIC — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 17:01:40 +0000

New York State Senate recognizes February 1, 2025, as World Hijab Day to ‘encourage religious tolerance, cultural understanding and international solidarity’

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Wednesday, January 29, hailed a new resolution in the New York State Senate that officially recognized Feb. 1, 2025, as World Hijab Day.

The resolution, introduced by Senator Roxanne Persaud, aims to “encourage religious tolerance, cultural understanding and international solidarity.”

“World Hijab Day, in its 12^th year, is a platform to promote understanding, dismantle stereotypes, and celebrate the empowerment of women who choose to wear the hijab,” CAIR said in a statement.

Muslim American women participate in ‘World Hijab Day’ on the steps of New York City Hall in Manhattan borough of New York, United States on February 1, 2018.

Noting that “this resolution reflects New York’s celebration of cultural and religious diversity,” CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher said, “World Hijab Day is an important opportunity to amplify the voices of hijab-wearing women and to combat the prejudice and discrimination they often face.”

“We are deeply grateful to Senator Roxanne J. Persaud for her advocacy and support of this resolution,” Nasher added.

World Hijab Day was founded by Nazma Khan in 2013 as a platform to foster religious tolerance and cultural understanding, according to its website. Since its inception, it has been observed worldwide, allowing women of different backgrounds to experience wearing a hijab for a day.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Wallonia’s largest mosque opens after 10 years of construction

IRIC — Wed, 08 May 2024 15:02:40 +0000

A hugely successful grassroots funding effort funded the landmark building, which is designed to have universal appeal.

The largest mosque in Belgium’s Wallonia region has just opened its doors after more than a decade of construction.

The Kanuni Sultan Süleyman mosque is situated in Liège, and was funded entirely by its worshippers, received no subsidies from the Belgian government or donations from abroad. The full cost of construction came to some €4.5 million.

The construction site which has just been completed on the heights of Liège, in the Glain district, will have been a long way of the cross.But now, more than ten years after the issuance of the building permit, the mosque of the Turkish community Kanuni Sultan Süleyman, which presents itself as nothing less than the largest mosque in Wallonia, will be inaugurated on rue des Hotteuses in Glain.

Covering an impressive 1,300 square meters, this contemporary white complex features a 450-square metre mosque crowned with a dome, albeit without minarets. The mosque can welcome up to 600 worshippers.

Mehmet Aydogdu, Liège’s representative of Culture and Interculturalism, described the vision behind the mosque’s design, “Our idea was not to make architecture related to Central Anatolia, the Middle East or North Africa. It was to reach universality – therefore a ‘Belgitude’”.

Mehmet Aydogdu is the alderman for Culture and Interculturality.

Built on a former coal site which has seen many generations of Turkish miners pass by, forged by a 1964 agreement allowing Turkish labor migration to Belgium.

Imam Ertugrul Yilmaz, was born and bread in Wallonia before pursuing his higher education in Turkey, said, “It’s with great pride for me to come back, to be an imam, because I grew up with them. I know them, they know me. We can work together.

“We would like to welcome everyone, do activities together, show that we live together, that we are also Belgian, that we are part of this community.”

Beyond its role as a place of worship, the mosque complex includes a cultural centre accessible to all, hosting a variety of events such as conferences, educational programs, and communal activities, further promoting dialogue and understanding among diverse communities.

Source: Euronews