Author: Michael Dillon
Pages: 72
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Most of us have heard that a large Muslim community resides in China. In recent years, we have also heard about their struggle for independence, which has led to a brutal crackdown by the Chinese government. But when it comes to details, we know very little about the twenty million strong Chinese Muslims who have managed to retain their Islamic beliefs and culture despite living in a Communist stronghold. Michael Dillon’s China’s Muslims offers a glimpse into the lives, customs and traditions of this part of the Muslim world.

Islam appeared in China during the caliphate of Uthman (RA). In the eastern coastal city of Quanzhou, there exists to this day a tomb that local Muslims refer to as the final resting place of a companion of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) by the name of Abu Waqas (RA).

As maritime trade flourished more and more, Muslim merchants settled in the coastal areas. Their interactions with locals also led to some conversions. But the single most important factor in the creation of Muslim communities in China was the thirteenth century Mongol invasion. After ransacking the Islamic cities of Bukhara and Samarkand, the armies of Genghis Khan and his successors transported skilled armorers, craftsmen and enslaved women and children back to China where they were settled as servants to Mongol aristocrats. In a remarkable feat, these enslaved people managed to preserve their Islamic faith.

Islam flourished in China during the Ming dynasty (1271-1368) when all religions were tolerated and a number of Islamic missionaries from Central Asia managed to enter the country and engage in da’wah (proselytization) work. Soon, Nanjing, the first capital of the Ming Dynasty, acquired fame as a major center of Islamic learning. The Islamic scholar, Wang Daiyu, wrote the influential Zhengjiao Zhenquan (Righteous Commentary on True Religion) and several other treatises in that city.

The Muslim community of China is divided into ten Muslim groups; namely the Hui, the Uyghurs, the Kazakhs, the Kyrgyz, the Uzbeks, the Tatars, the Salars, the Bao’an, the Dongxiang, and the Tajiks. The largest of these groups are the Hui people, who are found throughout China. According to a 1990 census, the total Hui population of China was 8,602,978. The Uyghurs, maybe the most well-known ethnic group, are the indigenous people of Xinjiang, the northwestern province where most of them reside. In modern China, however, “Hui” is increasingly being used as a homogenous classification for all Muslims. Hui men are recognized by their distinctive white caps. Interestingly, there is a tradition among the Hui that those whose caps are topped with blue, are the descendants of Chinese Jews who assimilated into the Hui when their numbers dwindled. 

The majority of Chinese Muslims are Sunnis who follow the Hanafi school of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). This tradition is referred to in Chinese as gedimu, which is a transliteration of the Arabic word qadim, meaning ancient. There are very few Shi’as (Shiites) in China, however there are a number of Sufis, of which there are four main groups: the Hufuye, the Zheerenye of the Naqshbandi brotherhood, the Qadariyya (Gadelinye) and the Kubrawiyya. Sufism has been credited by some as the main vehicle through which Chinese Muslims retained their religious identity during the height of Communist repression.

The Chinese Muslims’ peaceful existence dramatically changed during the reign of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), when they increasingly began asserting their demand for independence. During this period there were various uprisings that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Muslims.

The charismatic Muslim leader, Du Wenxiu, led a successful insurrection between 1862 and 1872 and established himself as the ruler of a sultanate in Shaanxi and Gansu. From 1867-1877, another independent state was established in Xinjiang under the leadership of Yakub Beg. These short-lived independent states were brutally crushed by successive Chinese regimes. So brutal was the repression that the Hui population was drastically reduced and, at times, faced virtual annihilation.

When the Communists took over China in 1949 there was again a brutal crackdown that continues to this day, albeit in a milder form. Islamic schools and Mosques were closed and some were even razed. Anything that did not conform to Maoist doctrine, including customs and beliefs, was attacked and scorned. These tough, Communist regulations were, however, eased after Mao’s death as China began its push towards modernization and international acceptance. This has lead to the building and reopening of hundreds of mosques and madrasas (schools). 

The Chinese state, realizing the potential economic productivity of ethnic minorities through via arts, crafts, trade and tourism, is inching forward towards reforms. But any anything that threatens the territorial integrity of China is not tolerated. This policy has led to several clashes and the routine executions of independence activists.

Michael Dillon’s book offers the reader a short but useful account of the various aspects of Islam in China. With flowing prose and striking, colorful pictures, Dillon provides a much needed insight into the history, beliefs, customs and food of the Chinese Muslims to the English speaking world.