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Muslims in China
However, it is certain that the advocating and spread of Islam was done by Iranian merchants and mainly through the Silk Road. This claim is supported by the fact that most Chinese Muslims are familiar with Farsi (Persian) words and use them in their everyday Chinese conversations. Even today, Chinese Muslims know their prayers and fasting by Farsi (Persian) names and use Farsi (Persian) words to distinguish between the different times of daily prayers. Furthermore, they express their intentions (‘niat’ a necessary part of any religious action) for actions such as bathing, engagement and marriage, in Farsi (Persian). The significance of the role Iranians played in the spread of Islam in China, was to such an extent, that during the rule of the ‘Tang’ dynasty 5,000 Muslims lived in the city of ‘Sheyen’ alone. Currently, there are villages in provinces such as ‘Yuanen’ and ‘Gansoo’ that are known as ‘The Villages of the Persians’.
There is no clear statistic on China’s Muslim population. The Islamic Society, which is a government subordinate, has put the Muslim population at 18 million people, whereas different sources have stated the Muslim population to be between 40 and 70 million people. China hosts some 34,000 mosques, some of which are 1200 years old.
The Special Language Prevalent Between Chinese Muslims
Generally speaking, China has 10 Islamic minorities that can be divided into two main categories. The first group, which is headed by the ‘Ayoghors’, use the Ayoghor, Arabic and Farsi (Persian) languages in their education. This group can be mostly found in the state of ‘Sin Kiyang’. The second group, who are mostly from the ‘Hooy’ family, use the Chinese, Arabic and Farsi (Persian) languages when they teach religious sciences. This group is pretty much scattered throughout China.
Islam and China’s Traditional Culture
Islam, unlike other religions, has had a consistent growth in China. This is largely due to the blending of Islam and China’s traditional culture, without change in their principles and foundations. During the rule of the ‘Tang’ dynasty, in addition to Islam, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Judaism and the Manavi religion also entered China, most of which disappeared after a few centuries. This was largely due to the fact that these religions could not mix and were in conflict with the traditional culture of China.
In the teachings of Confucius the five principles of human compassion, honesty, the etiquette and ways of wisdom and faith have a sacred status. Chinese Muslim scholars who had been educated in Chinese societies were, to an extent, influenced by these teachings. Chinese Muslims, in contrast to the rest of the world’s Muslims and like other non-Muslim Chinese, do not permit the marriage between cousins for five generations.
Mosques in China are built in Chinese architectural styles and statutes of animals can be seen in the vicinity of mosques. In Chinese culture, statues of animals are used to repel evil ghosts and to bring good luck. The tiles of Chinese mosques are generously covered with Chinese drawings with the meanings of fortuity, wealth and long life.
The status of Muslims in Beijing
The exact date of Islam’s entry to Beijing is not known and the history books have made no mention of it. A historical argument is that the construction of the ‘Niyojiye’ mosque can show that Islam entered Beijing in the time of ‘Liyav’. Sheikh ‘Ghawam Udin’ came to China from the western provinces in 996 CE. The government officials offered the Sheikh’s sons significant positions, but they did not accept them. They took on the Imamate of mosques and took up residency in China. Due to their foresight, Sa’d Udin and Nasser Udin knew that Beijing was a good place to start their activities and thus requested the construction of mosques in Beijing. With the approval of the Emperor and by his decree, Sa’d Udin constructed a mosque in ‘Dong Go’ and Nasser Udin erected one in the southern suburbs of the city, which is the ‘Niyojiye’ mosque that still stands today.
The book ‘Mr. Chiyojiyan’ writes that in 1259 CE, Beijing hosted 2593 Muslim families. If every family had an average of four members, then it can be concluded that 10372 Muslims lived in Beijing at that time. In the ‘Niyojiye’ mosque there are two old graves dating back to the Yuan period. One belongs to Mohammad ibn Ahmad, a resident of Medina who died in 1280, and the other to Ghawam Udin from Bacharach who passed away in 1283. These two people are prominent and trustworthy scholars of Islam.
The Conference of Muslim Representatives was held for the first time in Beijing in 1979 and the Islamic Society came into active existence. Since then the 200,000 Muslims living in Beijing have had a religious society all to themselves and this institution – with its new face – is pursuing the legitimate rights of Muslims. This institution – with the help of the government – has addressed the government’s mistakes during the Cultural Revolution and has been met with a cheerful welcome from the Muslims.
Beijing currently hosts 68 mosques and 120 Islamic clergymen that conduct their activities and address the daily needs of the Muslims. The spreading of Islam, increasing the communication and correspondence with foreigners and creating welcoming open doors are the main responsibilities of the Islamic Society.
Muslim Women in China
The role of Muslim women in China has a special significance. Since the 1980s religious schools for women were established and quickly sprung up amongst Muslims in north western China. The establishment of mosques for women, educational courses and schools that teach Arabic and Chinese have seen a rise in China’s north western cities. If you want to research on the historical aspects of the emergence of women’s educational institutions in China, you should refer to “The History of Women’s Mosques in Chinese Islam”, that has been authored by two prominent scholars, by the names of Maria Jaschok and Shui Jing Jun.
They are of the opinion that the mosques for women (where they could also receive education) dates back to the end of the ‘Ming’ dynasty and the beginning of the ‘Chang’ dynasty (end of the 16th century). During the middle of the rule of the ‘Chang’ dynasty a mosque for Muslim women was established in conformity with the teachings of Islam and administered by the women themselves. Following the education of women in mosques, Islamic schools for women were also established and gradually it was the women who taught and educated the students and several of them reached the level of clergy.
During the rule of the Ming and Chang dynasties China’s totalitarian and autarchic empire had reached its peak. In this atmosphere the living conditions of the cultural minorities deteriorated and Islamic culture came under heavy pressure from the mass culture.
These were years of crisis for the ‘Hooy’ Muslims and Islamic civilization and a group of Muslim scholars – including ‘Hodeng Joe and Luigi – entered the scene to create, for the first time, the system of education through mosques in China. It can be said that education through mosques is one of the most important achievements in the history of China’s Islam.
Schools for City Women
From the 1990s onwards, the schools that were established in the north western cities of China were attended enthusiastically by the ‘Hooy’ Muslims. In many of ‘Lanjo’ city’s mosques, including the mosque of ‘Shey Guan’, educational courses were held. The elementary course was a three-year program for mothers aged between 40 and 50. The full-time course was also three years long and was for girls aged 16 to 20 who had graduated from high school. Even a course of study for spare time was conducted for women who worked during the day and a course for girls that were school students. The main subjects taught in these schools included Islamic matters, the Chinese language and computers. Over the last ten years the ‘Shey Guan’ mosque has allocated some 300,000 yuans for the expansion of the women’s school and approximately 3,000 women have completed different courses offered by the school.
When asked about the aims of the women’s school, Ms. Yang Chon, the head of the Arabic and Chinese languages of the Shey Guan’s school for Muslim women, said that educating a man is merely educating an individual, but educate a woman and you have educated an entire family and educating a family means educating society.
With reform and China’s open door policy, culture, politics and economics have seen huge changes and the traditional culture, as well as Islamic culture, have been influenced by both mass and western culture. The Muslim society has a significant role in the continuation of Islamic culture. Strengthening the schools for women has filled the vacancy the men have left in the continuation of Islamic culture and the responsibility to maintain Islamic culture has gradually shifted from the men to the women; and the family, as the bearer of the Islamic culture, is strengthened day by day.
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