Sharing faith in a material world
Saeed Uddin has spent years serving the ethnic minority community
When Saeed Uddin, the chairman of the Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community, came to Hong Kong from Pakistan 37 years ago he threw himself into the textile trade.
He had the credentials, having studied commerce at the University of Sindh and spent his time between Hyderabad and Karachi, working for the family textile business.
“Hong Kong was one of the biggest importers of Pakistani cotton yarn, so I started a business here in textiles,” he says. “Our company had a great role in introducing Pakistani cotton to Hong Kong from 1981 to 1992. When I came to Hong Kong there were 28 textile mills. They gradually disappeared when land became too expensive.”
But his time wasn’t just spent on the family business.
Saeed has spent years serving the community, specifically ethnic minorities, both with the Trustees and also doing a stint with the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC).
As part of his role with the Trustees, Saeed oversees the administration of the five mosques in Hong Kong and two Muslim cemeteries.
The father of five – “two sons are based here, two are in Pakistan and my daughter is married in Karachi” – says it is important to gently push Pakistani parents and other ethnic minorities into ensuring that their children grow up speaking, reading and writing Chinese.