97 replies to this topic

[SolidSnake]

Salaam Just wondering if there are any muslims here from china who grew up there? How are you guys treated?

[ummammaar]

I hope someone else can answer this question, but from reading some news recently and having watched a documentary a few years back. China is a communist country. They are not allowed to believe in a religion until they are 18. It is really hard for the muslims there. Not many wear hijab. You cannot sell the Quran in a bookstore. Everything is under the control of the communists. Please let me know if anything I "learned" is not true. Allahu alam.

[Bahagia]

I hope someone else can answer this question, but from reading some news recently and having watched a documentary a few years back. China is a communist country. They are not allowed to believe in a religion until they are 18. It is really hard for the muslims there. Not many wear hijab. You cannot sell the Quran in a bookstore. Everything is under the control of the communists. Please let me know if anything I "learned" is not true.  Allahu alam.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As far as I know, what you have written is true. There are also very strict controls on opening and running Masjids, muslim schools and Islamic associations.

Conditions are currently very tight for our brothers and sisters over there. But having said that, muslims do get treated marginally better than Christians, Buddhists and members of some other faiths - it may be because muslims have played such a big part of Chinese society for the last 1000 years or so.

I don't know exactly how many muslims there are in China - I've seen figures of between 20 million and 200 million quoted by various sources.

[JingieSuavo]

The situation of Muslims in China is as complex as it gets, and the treatment of Muslims is directly related to their role in this complex web of history. There are several main groups of Chinese Muslims in China, the two major groups being the Huis/Tungans and the Uighurs. How the government reacts to actions taken by these two groups vary greatly.
Although the Huis are much more assimilated, look rather similar to the Han Chinese, speak Mandarin, and live throughout many of the eastern provinces of China, they are stuck in the dilemma of trust and Islamic culture. Their dual identity as Muslims and "Chinese" makes their interraction very difficult among either groups, especially under an oppressive regime that makes suspect any signs of unusual group activity. It is important to note that few of the past century's Islamic nationalist movements within China were carried out by this group of Muslims in China. (The Hui are supposedly of Arab origin. Much evidence attests to this claim.)
The Uighurs, on the other hand, have greater autonomy over their own affairs - chiefly because of their location. The Uighurs, much less Sinicized than the Huis, reside mostly in Xinjiang, or the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. This largest province of China is almost entirely desert, and if not, then mountain ranges. The Chinese government has only paid heavy attention to this region in the past 50 years, through programs such as mass Han migration, liberalization of Uighur economy in some areas, lenient religious policies, etc. These softened policies are most likely results of the Uighurs' proven history of nationalist movement. During the '30s and '40s, two very large nationalist movements swept across many oases of Xinjiang, which set up independent states for years. Because of the lack of Han presence and/or military control, many regions of Xinjiang have retained a greater sense of self-determination. In some areas, such as Kashgar, women still wear the burkah. (The Uighurs are of Turkic origin.)
The are many other Muslim groups, but smaller in number.

[cheerio]

Thanks for sharing the information JingieSuavo..Is there any website about the muslim organisations in China?

[JingieSuavo]

I'm not sure what Muslim organizations you are talking about. If you're referring to associations of Muslims that have large following, they're most likely answerable to the Chinese government. There have been almost no fundamentalist movements in China for the last 50 years.

[lizhong]

I have dealt with this issue before and I'd like to comment on it again.

I have been living in China so that I believe in this issue I know better than the author, no matter what a position he holds and who he is.

Higher estimate of Muslim population in China is based on that there were 50 million Muslims before 1949, especially in 1930s. In fact, before 1949, The KMT government ruled China in a mess, no census is held so that it is out of the picture that how many people in China, not alone how people Muslims. The figure of Muslim population is totally estimation, or more exactly, an imagination, which is too impractical to hold water. When writing Islamic works, some grand imams quoted the figure ad asbitsium or they have no better one to turn to (and the purpose of the works focus on Islamic teaching in stead of the Muslim population in China). Since the influence of the works, the outside world accepted the figure.

Unlike Muslims in USA or Sub-Sahara (in the case of the former, some Muslims don抰 practice Islam when they immigrated into the new world; and the latter, some people practice both shamanism and Islam; in the 2 cases, it is hard to tell who is a Muslim and who isn抰) Muslims in China can be exactly calculated because they are made up of by 10 ethnic minorities and some Han Chinese converts:
1. Turkish Muslims(Xinjiang Msulims):
Uygurs: 9.90 million
Kazaks: 1.50 million
Kirgizs: 0.20 million
Tajiks: 50,000
Uzebeks: 20,000
Tartars: 6000
Sub-total: 11.67 million
2. Inland Muslims (Chinese-speaking Muslims/ Sino-Muslims):
Huis: 11 million
Dongxiangs: 520,000
Salars: 120,000
Bonan: 20,000
Han Chinese Converts: 50,000~60,000
(The Han who converted to Islam before 1949 have been identified as the Hui, hence the 50,000/60,000 refers to these who converted after 1949, even though, some of them have changed their ethnicity when converting, for this part of people, 11 million includes them)
Sub-total: 11.64 million
Total: 23.31
You can see the upper bound of the Muslims in China is 24 million. And of course, of all them can be regarded as Muslims, especially Huis, many of them in eastern Cities eat pork (in China, this is a boundary between Muslims and non-Muslims) and claim they are atheists, for this reason, when you calculate the population you抎 better multiply a coefficient on 24 million, maybe 0.95 and maybe 0.90, I don抰 know. It is hard to judge. I am personally inclined to say the upper bound of the Muslim population in China is 24 million and the lower bound is 20 million, this figure is rather reliable.

[Sayyid]

Salaam Alaikum!

My country have about twenty million muslims! they are more than some Islamic country.I hope have your viewpoint about us

[Sayyid]

salam alaikum
i am chinese muslim. i am hui

[abdullah-ibn-adam]

Wa alaykum Salaam.

It makes me very happy when I hear about Muslims from different parts of the world! I even have a book about the Chinese Muslims, called the Uighir (?)

Insha'Allah I would like to visit China one day.

[Insignia of Islam]

Salaam,

Alhamdulliah that is wonderful news! But it really isn't a surprise. Only abut 13% of the world's total Muslim population is Arab. The rest is mainly Asian.

Peace

[Arsalan]

I think the chineese people are a highly intelligent, and very practical people, full of very great chracter traits like discpline, proper learning, and knowledge seeking, they are generally loyal, honest honourable and trustworthy ( of other religions), so i imagine the muslims of china have a great potential to benefit this Ummah! al;hamdoilillah

The muslims ummah needs more chineese Muslims!

we had someone before on this forum who posted many many posts on China and Islam

I thought there were many more then 20 million muslims in china

and also how is DAWAH effort going in China?

Edited by AbdulMajid, 13 November 2004 - 12:47 PM.

[lizhong]

you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_image2.sina.com.cn/dy/s/2004-11-13/U397P1T1D4908360F21DT200411131137.jpg

you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_image2.sina.com.cn/dy/s/2004-11-13/U397P1T1D4907330F21DT200411131529.jpg


you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_image2.sina.com.cn/dy/s/2004-11-12/U397P1T1D4899158F21DT200411121844.jpg


you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_image2.sina.com.cn/dy/s/2004-11-12/U397P1T1D4899165F21DT200411121921.jpg

[lizhong]

you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_www.islamcn(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/bbs/UploadFile/2004-11/20041114101743509.jpg

you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_www.islamcn(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/bbs/UploadFile/2004-11/2004111410183829.jpg

Some foreign Muslims
you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_www.islamcn(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/bbs/UploadFile/2004-11/20041114102758264.jpg


you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_www.islamcn(contact admin if its a beneficial link)/bbs/UploadFile/2004-11/20041114101849364.jpg

Edited by lizhong, 14 November 2004 - 02:32 AM.

[Sayyid]

Salaam Alaikum

Welcome to china!China is the large country in the world.
Chinese muslims are also very more .In the history,We were killed by enemies,the population of muslim reduced, but now we are good for my religion,there are many beautiful Masjid in each place.Many Imam have knowledge.we had many famous outstanding muslims, scientist ,artist,scholar ,official,so there were highly position in the Chinese history. Although china is the communistic country,but religion is free now.
I am sorry .I know a lot of English, I used to Chinese in my daily life.

[Sayyid]

Salaam Alaikum

Welcome to china!China is the large country in the world.
Chinese muslims are also very more .In the history,We were killed by enemies,the population of muslim reduced, but now we are good for my religion,there are many beautiful Masjid in each place.Many Imam have knowledge.we had many famous outstanding muslims, scientist ,artist,scholar ,official,so there were highly position in the Chinese history. Although china is the communistic country,but religion is free now.
I am sorry .I don't know a lot of English, I used to Chinese in my daily life.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[guided_heart]

Bismillah,

brother,

Welcome to IF and dont worry about ur English....we all learn everyday inshallah.

Cool picture...inshallah in time the ummah will unite from every part of the world and we will not let enemies divide us and destroy us inshallah. Remember, everything that happens..happens by the will of Allah. Inshallah...may Allah forgive us and protect us from Jahannam!

wa.salam

[lizhong]

you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_qiao.hairui.cn/images/upfile/2004-11/2004111415658.jpg


you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_qiao.hairui.cn/images/upfile/2004-11/20041114152911.jpg


you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_qiao.hairui.cn/images/upfile/2004-11/20041114154041.jpg

you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_qiao.hairui.cn/images/upfile/2004-11/20041114151134.jpg


you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_qiao.hairui.cn/images/upfile/2004-11/20041114151519.jpg

you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_qiao.hairui.cn/images/upfile/2004-11/20041114153134.jpg

Edited by lizhong, 14 November 2004 - 09:12 AM.

[lizhong]

you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_qiao.hairui.cn/images/upfile/2004-11/20041114154943.jpg


you can't post links until you reach 50 posts_qiao.hairui.cn/images/upfile/2004-11/20041114154955.jpg


pics taken in Shenzhen

[Russian Visitor]

Excellent pictures, lizhong!
I thought China would have more Muslims than Russia, but we have about the same numbers (20 million).
PS. Muslim women look more... attractive

Edited by Russian Visitor, 14 November 2004 - 09:35 AM.