This week saw the arrival of the first group of Bangladeshi foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong. They have been recruited to ease a perceived  shortfall in numbers of workers that will approach in the next few years.

The SCMP comments that the mostly Muslim women have cut their hair short and are prepared to cooke and serve pork to their new employers. One is reported to aspire to open a Chinese restaurant in Bangladesh when she returns home.

From my interests in Islam in Hong Kong this is an intriguing new development. We see Hong Kong developing a preference for Muslim foreign domestic help. We shall also see how these women adapt to Hong  Kong, and of course, how Hong Kong adapts to them.

Lunchtime talk at the FCC on 14th Jan.

I will be talking about Muslims in Hong Kong and present day issues of minority politics in the territory. I will also be promoting my book!

The Bangladesh Consulate in Hong Kong is in the process of setting up a deal with the Hong Kong government for the recruitment of Domestic Helpers from Bangladesh.

This is a response to the recent news that Foreign Domestic Helpers from the Philippines and Indonesia will in coming years be phased out. 

If this move follows the pattern of Indonesia, then it will result in quite notable social change in both Hong Kong and Bangladesh. It also has important demographic and social ramifications for the face of Islam in Hong Kong. Has Hong Kong developed a preference for Muslims foreign domestic labour? 

This is a story to watch.

There is more on this story on the SCMP

This morning I was fortunate enough to be invited to speak at the Anatolia Cultural Dialog Centre in Wanchai. They have a novel forum of breakfast talks where visitors can have an informal breakfast and then enjoy a presentation by a speaker.

As always there was a great mixture of people and we had a lively discussion. I have previously visited the Centre for an evening discussion for Eid (see photo above and follow link). Our debate at this time was on the “Benefits and Challenges of a Multicultural Environment”.

I am interviewed in today’s SCMP regarding Islam in Hong Kong and the release of my new book.

It was a fun thing to do and we treaded the path around the Wanchai Mosque and the Oi Kwan Road playground. Both of which are prime sites of interest in the book.

The Kindle version of my book is now available on Amazon. There is also a preview of the first few pages. It looks great.

Check it out. Islam in Hong Kong: Muslims and Everyday Life in China’s World City

Great fun going on RTHK Radio 3, Morning Brew today. It was quite a topical show and Gordon Mathews was also on the phone calling Nationalism a cult. So a good representation from CUHK Anthropology.

A good deal of chat about minorities, National education, and of course my book.

Listen to the show online here.

The book is published!

A little ahead of schedule, and now available from HKU Press. In the coming weeks it will appear on Amazon, in local bookstores, and slowly start making its way to libraries.

Thanks for all the interest from my Tumblr followers, friends, colleagues, research participants and everyone else who has contributed in one way or another.

Keep posted for further news about the release.

Here are some of the book’s endorsements….

“An unexpected gem. An innovative book which explores the everyday lived reality of Muslim minorities in Hong Kong. The contemporary focus is framed by a fascinating history of South Asian Muslims which reaches back into the early 19th century. This beautifully wrought study sheds a great deal of light on a range of issues impacting Muslim minorities: from the extent of hybridity—adapting basketball spaces to cricket—to the challenge of eating halal in a culinary culture where pork is ubiquitous! Young Muslims in Hong Kong face racism and their inability to access Chinese language schools has huge implications for employment and social mobility. However, Islam is respected and they are not seen through a security lens. In all, a hopeful study.” — Philip Lewis, author of Islamic Britain and Young, British and Muslim 

“There has long been a need for a book-length account of Muslims in Hong Kong; this readable and informative book admirably fills the void. Anyone interested in how Muslims make their lives and practice their faith in the Chinese city of Hong Kong should definitely read it.” — Gordon Mathews, author of Ghetto at the Center of the World: Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong 

“In this insightful and fascinating book, O’Connor walks us through the bustling streets of Hong Kong, where space, civility, hope and freedom are created every day by the territory’s diverse Muslims. It provides a rare glimpse into an imperfect, but perhaps ‘good enough’ cosmopolitanism, lived in the schools, homes, shops and lives of ordinary people. Amidst the worry and panic about young Muslims in diaspora as either problems or victims, this is a refreshing and much-needed account of the valuable ways a global city deals with difference. An essential text for scholars and students of youth, diversity and contemporary multiculturalism.” — Anita Harris, author of Young People and Everyday Multiculturalism