Islam in China

[Nehustan]

In light of a few threads on the go, and I suppose in respect of Islam and its growth in the context of Europe I thought that a brief look at Islam in China might be interesting, especially given current political dynamics and Huntingdon's 'Clash of Civilisations' which really means a clash between the 'white man' and anyone who doesn't do what he says.

Islam in China (650 - 1980 CE)

Yusuf Abdul Rahman​

The Ancient Record of the Tang Dynasty describes a landmark visit to China by Saad ibn Abi Waqqas (ra), one of the companions of Prophet Muhammad (s) in 650 C.E. This event is considered to be the birth of Islam in China. The Chinese emperor Yung-Wei respected the teachings of Islam and considered it to be compatible with the teachings of Confucius. To show his admiration for Islam, the emperor approved the establishment of China's first mosque at Ch'ang-an. That mosque still stands today after fourteen centuries.


Muslims virtually dominated the import/export business in China during Sung Dynasty (960 - 1279 CE). The office of Director General of Shipping was consistently held by a Muslim during this period. During the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 CE), a period considered to be the golden age of Islam in China, Muslims fully integrated into Han society by adopting their name and some customs while retaining their Islamic mode of dress and dietary restrictions.

Anti-Muslim sentiments took root in China during the Ch'ing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 CE), which was established by Manchus who were a minority in China. Muslims in China number more than 35 million, according to unofficial counts. They represent ten distinct ethnic groups. The largest are the Chinese Hui, who comprise over half of China's Muslim population. The largest of Turkic groups are the Uygurs who are most populous in the province of Xinjiang, where they were once an overwhelming majority.

http://www.islamawareness.net/Asia/China/islchina.html​

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[greatcalgarian]

China is very tolerant of all religion, except the situation where that religion is controlled by a foreign power with the intention of interferring with China internal affair such as the Rome Pope

http://ca.geocities.com/greatcalgarian/ChinaReligions.htm
Addressed by Mr. Ye Xiaowen at
Chung Chi College of Chinese University of Hong Kong
19 February 2001
[FONT=SimSun,??][FONT=SimSun,??]　　大家关心的是[/FONT][/FONT]50[FONT=SimSun,??]年来中国宗教政策之演变。“演变”是有的，但长期稳定的政策主要有两条[/FONT]:[FONT=SimSun,??]尊重宗教信仰自由，坚持独立自主办教。有朋友问，主张无神论的共产党执政，尊重宗教信仰自由是真实的吗？在扩大对外开放的中国，坚持独立自主办教还有必要吗？欲答此问，就不能不涉及作为这[/FONT]50[FONT=SimSun,??]年的“历史文化背景”或“准备阶段”的前[/FONT]50[FONT=SimSun,??]年；不能不研究在中华民族积贫积弱、备受欺凌，奋起抗争、翻身解放，改革发展、争取复兴的百年历史进程中，中国宗教如何走过它的百年行程，如何在新的社会条件下完成其自身的变革。在这个背景下考量宗教政策的根据、得失，较为客观和公正。[/FONT]
Many of you are interested in the evolution of China’s religious policies in the past 50 years. There is indeed an evolution in this respect. But two key policies remain constant -- that of respect for freedom of religiious belief and that of independent running of religious affairs. Some friends here may ask: does the ruling Communist Party, a party that advocates atheism, really respects the freedom of religious belief? Is it still necessary for China to continue to run its religious affairs independently when the whole country is embracing ever-increasing openness to the outside world? In order to answer these questions, we cannot but spend some time talking about the 50 years that had preceded the past 50 years, which may have served as a historical background or a preparatory stage for the latter. Similarly, we cannot but study how religions in China (not including those in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) have traversed their century-long journey amid the Chinese nation’s sufferings and humiliation, resistance and liberation, reform and development, and the ongoing rejuvenation, and how they have completed their respective transformation under new social conditions. An assessment of the merits or demerits of China’s religious policies against such a backdrop may prove to be fairer and more objective.

 

[Ody]

You quoted china.org... obvious bias.

 

[Nehustan]

...but maybe allowable given the subject matter.

 

[Nehustan]

Hu vows to cement China-Arab co-op.

BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao said here Wednesday that China will work with the Arab states to further promote friendly cooperation on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two sides.

Hu made the remarks while meeting with the foreign ministers and representatives from the 22 Arab states and Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Amr Mahmoud Moussa, who are here attending a meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum.
"China thanks the Arab states for supporting China in Taiwan and human rights issues and will as always support the just cause of the Arab states and people," said Hu.
Hu called for further economic cooperation between China and the Arab states, saying the two sides are expected to expand cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, energy and environmental protection.
The two sides "will explore new mechanism and ways of cooperation in a bid to lift the China-Arab pragmatic cooperation to a new height," Hu added.
On international and regional affairs, Hu suggested that the regional disputes be resolved peacefully through consultations and dialogue.
The China-Arab Cooperation Forum, established in 2004, has been an important platform for dialogue and cooperation and has been a good example for the cooperation between developing countries, said the Arab ministers. The Arab delegates reiterated their consistent adherence to the One-China policy and appreciated the positive roles China has played in supporting the "just cause" of the Arab people and international affairs.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-05/31/content_4628487.htm​