Accepting Prejudice and Valuing Freedom: Young Muslims and Everyday Multiculturalism in Hong Kong

Abstract

This paper shows how the experiences of young Muslims in Hong Kong reveal an alternative account of multiculturalism to that which is often portrayed in works about young Muslims in the West. It presents the everyday multicultural experiences of young people as an important resource to understand the lived experience of ethnic and religious diversity. This discussion is framed by the experiences of a multiethnic sample of young Muslims in Hong Kong. Their experiences demonstrate a pragmatic negotiation of cultural difference and a disinterested acceptance of popular racism. These attitudes are argued as being an adaptation to the popular racism pervasive in Hong Kong culture. Despite the racism they experience, the young Muslims argue that they are safe and very free in the territory, a matter that influences the perception of the racism they encounter. The fact that Islam is not perceived as a threat in Hong Kong society provides an alternative understanding of young Muslims as minorities in the post 9/11 era. It is argued in conclusion that understanding what young Muslims value about life in Hong Kong enables us to recognise alternative representations of multiculturalism and to consider how a variety of different dynamics influence the everyday lives of religious and ethnic minorities as citizens in multicultural societies.

Keywords:

• Multiculturalism
• Everyday Multiculturalism
• Hong Kong
• Muslim Youth
• Everyday Racism

Notes

1. The issue of education for ethnic minorities in Hong Kong has been widely debated over the last decade, particularly the language of instruction. Many working class South Asians wish to access local higher education and vocational training systems and call for Chinese language education. However due to space constraints, education is not pursued in depth in this article.

2. A Cantonese term for a foreigner: its translation varies but refers to Caucasians as ghosts or devils, i.e., ghost man, or foreign devil. Its use is extensive and common even as a means for non-Chinese to refer to themselves. However, many people, both Chinese and non-Chinese, find the term offensive.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paul O'Connor

Paul O'Connor was recently awarded his doctorate in sociology from the University of Queensland. Originally from the UK he has been living in Hong Kong for the last eight years. His doctoral thesis “Everyday Hybridity: Young Muslims in Hong Kong” explored empirical grounding to work on cultural hybridity and examined the cultural diversity and challenges that young Muslims face living in a multicultural Chinese city. He has an interdisciplinary background and is interested in research on everyday life, multicultural youth, postcolonialism, and religious minorities