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| ] has a great number of ]. Some say it is 2% of the total population (1 |
] has a great number of ]. Some say it is 2% of the total population (1.2 billion). The biggest Muslim group in China are the ]. Other Muslim groups in China include the ]s and the ]. They live, for the most part, in Northwest-China in the autonomous region ]. | ||
| A unique feature of modern Muslim practitioners in China is the presence of ]. | A unique feature of modern Muslim practitioners in China is the presence of ]. | ||
Revision as of 03:21, 5 April 2005
China has a great number of Muslims. Some say it is 2% of the total population (1.2 billion). The biggest Muslim group in China are the Hui. Other Muslim groups in China include the Uyghurs and the Kazakhs. They live, for the most part, in Northwest-China in the autonomous region Xinjiang.
A unique feature of modern Muslim practitioners in China is the presence of female imams.
History
During the Tang Dynasty, China was highly tolerant of new religions and Chinese contact with foreign envoys flourished. Islam was introduced to China via the silk road by Arabs. Although some believe that Islam may have arrived in China during the Sui Dynasty, the first official record of Islam's arrival in China occurred during the Tang Dynasty.
Tang Dynasty
Uthman ibn Affan, the third Caliph of Ummah, sent the first official Muslim envoy to China in 650. The envoy, headed by Sa'ad ibn Waqqas, arrived in the Tang capital, Chang'an, in 651 via the overseas route. Huis generally consider this date to be the official founding of Islam in China. The Ancient Record of the Tang Dynasty recorded the historic meeting, where the envoy greeted Emperor Gaozong of Tang China and tried to convert him to Islam. Although the envoy failed to convince the Emperor to embrace Islam, the Emperor allowed the envoy to prosthelyze in China and ordered the establishment of the first Chinese mosque in the capital to show his respect for the religion.
During the Tang Dynasty, a steady stream of Arab and Persian traders arrived in China through the silk road and the overseas route through the port of Quanzhou. Not all of the immigrants were Muslims, but many of those who stayed formed the basis of the Chinese Muslim population and the Hui ethnic group. The Arab and Persian immigrants introduced polo, their cuisine, their musical instruments, and their knowledge of medicine to China.
Song Dynasty
During the Song Dynasty, Muslims in China dominated foreign trade to the south and west.
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty embraced Islam. The Mongols elevated the status of Muslims versus the Chinese, and placed many Muslims in high-ranking posts instead of Confucian scholars, relying on Muslims to administer the empire. The state encouraged Muslim immigration, as Arab, Persian and Turkic immigration into China accelerated during this period.
Ming Dynasty
Muslims continued to flourish in China during the Ming Dynasty. During Ming rule, the capital, Nanjing, was a center of Islamic learning.
Immigration slowed down drastically however, and the Muslims in China became increasingly isolated from the rest of the Islamic world, gradually becoming more sinicized, adopting the Chinese language and Chinese dress. During this period, Muslims also began to adopt Chinese surnames.
Qing Dynasty
Muslims suffered a decline of their status during the Qing Dynasty. Numerous Hui rebellions, such as the Panthay Rebellion, sprung up during the Qing Dynasty in reaction to repressionist policies.
Mosques in China
- Huajue Mosque in Xi'an
- Dongsi Mosque in Beijing
- Huaisheng Mosque in Guangzhou
- Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar
- Niujie Mosque in Beijing
- Songjiang Mosque in Shanghai
- Najiahu Mosque in Yinchuan
See also
External links
References
- Reischauer, Edwin O. and Fairbank, John K., East Asia: The Great Tradition