SINICIZATION OF ISLAM THROUGH THE HISTORICAL EVOLUTION
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.sidebar##
Abstract
On March 22nd, 2023, the holy month of Ramadan started. Millions of Muslims across the globe observe a foundational pillar of practicing Islam – fasting during the month. According to officials1, China is home to almost 35.000 mosques of which 25.000 are in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The Niujie Mosque (牛街礼拜寺), one of the most famous mosques in China, gathered Muslims to celebrate the start of Ramadan (see fig. 1). As observers noticed the number of attendees was relatively small, mostly the older generation and some children. The ban on Islamic classes in mosques for youth may be a reason. It’s hard to find any children’s literature or other information on Islam in mosques as well as online on Taobao or other Chinese platforms2. The introduction of Islam into China is evident from the 7th century onwards. Dru C. Gladny, Raphael Israeli, Jonathan Lipman, and Michael Dillon among many other international and Chinese scholars focus on the history of Chinese Islam and Chinese Muslim identity. However, the work of Western scholars on Islam in China is entirely separate from the work of Chinese scholars, especially during the Xi Jinping era due to the sensitiveness of this topic and obstacles of the field studies arrangement. The Sinicization of Islam3 has been remarkably apparent in the history of China and it has been the subject of debates in various academic circles. During the Xi Jinping era, this discourse was mostly ignored due to political circumstances. This article aims to introduce scholars’ opinions on the historical background of Islam in China across the largest Chinese Muslim ethnic groups – Hui and Uyghur. In terms of understanding the Chinese Muslim identity in contemporary China, it’s important to go through its historical evolution. Sinicization of Islam is a crucial part of it. The brief overview of the main papers of scholars would help future researchers to navigate the Islam introduction to China and generate more public discussions on the topic of the Sinicization of Islam.
How to Cite
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##
Islam, Muslims, Hui, Uyghur, Sinicization
Barfield Thomas (Feb. 2000), “Reviewed Work: Familiar Strangers: A History of Muslims in Northwest China by Jonathan N. Lipman”, International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 32. № 1, pp. 164–166, аvailable at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/259544.
Benite Zvi Ben-Dor. (2010), “From Literaty to Ulama: The Origins of Chinese Moslem Nationalist Historiography” in Nationalism and Ethnic Politics, Vol. 9, 3 June 2010, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2004.
Buell Paul D. (1979), “Sino-Khitan Administration in Mongol Bukhara”. Journal of Asian History. Vol. 13, № 2, pp. 121–151.
Caprioni Eelena. (2011), “Daily Encounters Between Hans and Uyghurs in Xinjiang: Sinicization, Integration or Segregation?”, Pacific Affairs 84, № 2: 267–87, аvailable at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23056763.
Dillon Michael. (1999), “China’s Muslim Hui Community: Migration, Settlement, and Sects”. Psychology Press. Dungans. 208 p.
Gladney Dru C. (1996), Muslim Chinese: Ethnic Nationalism in the People’s Republic”. 2nd ed. Vol. 149. Harvard University Asia Center, аvailable at: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1tg5gkz.
Goldman Merle. (Jan. 1986), “Religion in Post-Mao China”, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 483, Religion and the State: The Struggle for Legitimacy and Power, pp. 146–156.
Golod V. (February 2023), Muslim Identity in Contemporary China Through the Lens of Chinese Nationalism. Cultural and Religious Studies. Volume 11, № 2. (Serial Number 99). Pp. 91–98.
Golod V. (2022), The role of the Chinese Islamic Association in Contemporary China. Thesis to the XVI scientific conference “Chinese civilization: traditions and modernity”. Pp. 98–100.
Ishfaq S. (2018), The Sinicization and Suppression of China’s Muslim Uyghurs”. Foreign policy journal, аvailable at: http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2018/11/23/the-sinicization-and-suppression-of-chinas-muslim-uyghurs/.
Israeli Rafael. (2002), Islam in China: Religion, Ethnicity, Culture, and Politics, Lexington Books, 339 p.
Lipman Jonathan. Familiar Strangers: A History of Muslims in Northwest China (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1998), xxii–xxxiii. Dru Gladney, Muslim Chinese: Ethnic Nationalism in the People’s Republic. Cambridge: Harvard Council of East Asian Studies, 1989, pp. 96–8.
Lei Wan (2010/2), “The Chinese Islamic “Goodwill Mission to the Middle East” During the Anti-Japanese War, Dîvân DİSİPLİNLERARASI ÇALIŞMALAR DERGİSİ cilt 15 say›, 29 pp. 133–170.
Meng Wei. (2010), The Advent of Islam in China: Guangzhou Fanfang during the Tang-Song Era”. 814 pages.
Morgan D.O. (1994), “Rāshid Al-Dīn Tabīb”. Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. 8 (2nd ed.). Brill Academic Publishers. pp. 145–148.
Rawski Evelyn S. (Nov. 1996), “Presidential Address: Reenvisioning the Qing: The Significance of the Qing Period in Chinese History”. The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 55, № 4, pp. 829–850, аvailable at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2646525
Soucek Svat (2000), “A History of Inner Asia”, Cambridge University Press, Feb 17. History. 369 p.
Wlodzimierz, Cieciura (2016), “Ethnicity or Religion? Republican-Era Chinese Debates on Islam and Muslims”. Islamic Thought in China Sino-Muslim Intellectual Evolution from the 17th to the 21st Century (Jonathan Lipman ed.) (pp. 107–146). Publisher: Edinburgh University Press Ltd.
Yuan Chen. (1985), ‘Huihuijiao ru Zhongguo shilue’ (A historical outline of Islam’s entrance into China), Yinchuan: Ningxia Renmin Chubanshe, Vol. 1, pp. 3–1.