Islam in China: Difference between revisions

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	===Tang Dynasty===		===Tang Dynasty===
	], the third ] of ], sent the first official Muslim envoy to China in ]. The envoy, headed by ], arrived in the Tang capital, ], in ] via the overseas route. ]s 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 ] 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 ] in the capital to show his respect for the religion.		], the third ] of ], sent the first official Muslim envoy to China in ]. The envoy, headed by ], arrived in the Tang capital, ], in ] via the overseas route. ]s 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 ] 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 ] in the capital to show his respect for the religion.

			Arab people are first noted in Chinese written records, under the name ''Da shi'' in the annals of the ] dynasty (618-907). Records dating from 713 speak of the arrival of a ''Da shi'' ambassador. It is recorded that in 758, a large Muslim settled in ] erupted in unrest and fled. The community had constructed a large mosque (Hui sheng si), destroyed by fire in 1314, and constructed in 1349-51; only ruins of a tower remain from the first building.

	During the Tang Dynasty, a steady stream of Arab and ] traders arrived in China through the silk road and the overseas route through the port of ]. Not all of the immigrants were Muslims, but many of those who stayed formed the basis of the Chinese Muslim population and the ] ethnic group. The Arab and Persian immigrants introduced ], their cuisine, their musical instruments, and their knowledge of ] to China.		During the Tang Dynasty, a steady stream of Arab and ] traders arrived in China through the silk road and the overseas route through the port of ]. Not all of the immigrants were Muslims, but many of those who stayed formed the basis of the Chinese Muslim population and the ] ethnic group. The Arab and Persian immigrants introduced ], their cuisine, their musical instruments, and their knowledge of ] to China.

Revision as of 04:31, 12 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.

Arab people are first noted in Chinese written records, under the name Da shi in the annals of the Tang dynasty (618-907). Records dating from 713 speak of the arrival of a Da shi ambassador. It is recorded that in 758, a large Muslim settled in Guangzhou erupted in unrest and fled. The community had constructed a large mosque (Hui sheng si), destroyed by fire in 1314, and constructed in 1349-51; only ruins of a tower remain from the first building.

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.

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