Islam grows in Red China

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Islam grows in Red ChinaWeb posted at: 11/9/2006 7:40:48
Source ::: The Peninsula
Qpost Chairman Ali Muhammad Al Ali with the Chinese delegates. (SALIM MATRAMKOT)

DOHA Islam is flourishing under liberal Communist China. The religion is fast spreading in the red turf, said a visiting Chinese team.

Mowlana Rozy, who, is a member of six member Chinese interpreters arrived here as the Asian Games volunteers for Q-Post, told The Peninsula yesterday that China is witnessing an Islamic resurgence.

"Islam is enjoying all sorts of freedom under the communist regime. China is also promoting Arabic language through various universities", he said.

Across China, there are over 30 million Muslims. The North-Western part of China has the maximum number of Muslim population. With over 14 million Muslims, Xing Yang province has the distinction of being home to the largest Muslim community in China. There are several private schools teaching Islamic doctrines and Arabic language across the North-Western provinces, Rozy said.

Ningxia, Gansun and Qinghai are the provinces where the large Muslim community has its larger presence. In Ningxia 3000 students are undergoing training to become Imams. Another 5,000 are studying Arabic or Islamic doctrines.

China has no State religion. It has 56 minority communities, 66 different languages and many religions. There is virtually no restriction on the freedom of belief in China. Citizens are free to choose their religion. People are also free to embrace the religion of their choice, Rozy said.

As a Muslim, Rozy is grateful to his country. For, the government has relaxed its family planning programme for the Muslim community. While, China has directed the families of majority community not to have more than one child, the government has permitted Muslim couple to have two children.

Economic reforms in China have also led to increased trade with Middle East sparking an enormous demand for interpreters and translators. This has led more students opting for Arabic language courses.

All the team members, except one, are Muslims and all are fluent in Arabic.

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This is not surprising. China is trying to regain its former stature as a World Power and understands fully the diplomatic, trade and soft-hard power foundations that are contingent requirements for the realisation of that Power.

If we look at history, Islamic culture flourished and became fully integrated with Han culture during a period of that coincided with the rise and golden age of China i.e. the Tang, Sung, Yuan and Ming dynasties (650-1644). It was only after China fell to the Manchu Ching (Qing) that anti-Islam sentiments took root, chiefly because the Ching felt it threatened their occupation rule. Mao's extreme Marxism also exacerbated the problem but after his death, the CCP took a more liberal stance towards Islam. The preceived incompatibility of Islam and Chinese culture is actually an incompatibility between Islam and the secular western ideology that has been adopted by many westernized Chinese. China 's modenization thrust however is based on Deng Xiaoping's 'Socialism with Chinese characteristics' which seeks to retain the Chinese confucian value system while adopting Western methods of industrialization. This approach creates compatibility between Chinese culture, developmental model and Islamic ideology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_China
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Association_of_China
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism_with_Chinese_characteristics