Islam in China
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Muslims in China have managed to practise their faith in China, sometimes
against great odds, since the seventh century. Islam is one of the religions
that is still officially recognised in China.
picture arttoday.com
Origins
It is believed that Islam began in China during the Caliphate of Uthman ibn
Affan, the third Caliph of Islam.
The Caliph sent a deputation to China in 29 AH (650 CE, eighteen years after the
death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The delegation was headed by Sa’ad ibn Waqqas a maternal uncle of the Prophet.
Sa’ad Ibn Waaqas invited the Chinese Emperor (Yung-Wei) to embrace Islam.
To show his admiration for Islam the Emperor ordered the
establishment of China’s first Mosque. The magnificent Canton Mosque is known to
this day as the "memorial mosque" and it still stands after fourteen centuries.
In Arab records there are only sparse records of the event,
but there is a brief mention in the ancient records of the Tang dynasty. Chinese
Muslims consider this event to mark the birth of Islam in China.
Trade
Many Muslims went to China to trade, and these Muslims began to have a great
economic impact and influence on the country. Muslims virtually dominated the
import/export industry by the time of the Sung dynasty (960-1279).
Mosque at Kashgar in China.
photo Bernard Cloutier
Integration
Muslims became fully integrated into Chinese society. One interesting example of
this synthesis was the process by which Muslims changed their names.
Many Muslims married Han Chinese women and simply took the name of the wife. But
others took the Chinese surname of Mo, Mai, and Mu - names adopted by the
Muslims who had the surnames Muhammad, Mustafa and Masoud.
Some Muslims, who could not find a Chinese surname similar to their own, adopted
the Chinese character most similar to their own - Ha for Hasan, Hu for Hussain
and Sa’I for Said and so on.
In addition to names, Muslim customs of dress and food also
underwent a synthesis with Chinese culture.
The Islamic modes of dress and dietary rules were maintained within a Chinese
cultural framework. In time, the Muslims began to speak local dialects and to
read in Chinese.
Hostility
The rise of the Ch’ing dynasty (1644-1911) made relations between the Muslims
and Chinese more difficult.
The Ch’ing were Manchu not Han, and were themselves a minority in China. They
employed the tactics of divide and conquer to keep the Muslims, Hans, Tibetans
and Mongolians in conflict with each other.
During the long rule of this Manchu dynasty five wars were
waged against the Muslims, and the Muslims suffered many losses.
Twentieth Century
The Manchu dynasty fell in 1911, and the Republic of China was established by
Sun Yat Sen, who immediately proclaimed that the country belonged equally to the
Han, Hui (Muslim), Meng (Mongol), and the Tsang (Tibetan) peoples. This led to
some improvement in relations between these different peoples.
The Communist Era
The People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949. Through much of the early
years there were tremendous upheavals, which culminated in the Cultural
Revolution.
During the Cultural Revolution the Government attempted to dilute the Muslim
population of Xinjiang by settling masses of Han Chinese there, and replacing
Muslim leaders.
In 1978, the Chinese Government liberalised its policies
toward Islam and Muslims. New legislation gave all minorities the freedom to use
their own spoken and written languages, develop their own culture and education
and practice their religion.
Mosque at Turfan in China.
photo Bernard Cloutier
China Today
Under China’s current leadership Islam is undergoing a modest revival and there
are now many mosques in China. There has been an upsurge in Islamic expression
and many nation-wide Islamic associations have been organised to co-ordinate
inter-ethnic activities among Muslims.
In most of China Muslims have considerable religious freedom,
however in areas like Xinjiang, where there has been unrest among Uighur
Muslims, activities are restricted.
China is fighting an increasingly protracted struggle against
members of its Uighur minority, who are a Turkic people with their own language
and distinct Islamic culture. Uighar separatists are intent on re-establishing
the state of East Turkistan, which existed for a few years in the 1920s. | 
