Shanta Maria
It is Friday. I am going to offer Jumma prayers. I am trying to find out where the mosque is. I heard there is a mosque here. A little further on, I saw several old Chinese men walking with `Islamic hats’ on their heads. I understood that the mosque can be found only by following them. There is a Muslim inhabited area here. Name HuihuiIn. I have prayed many times in the mosque here. I have seen the houses of Muslims in this area. It can be seen that their financial condition is quite good. Bismillah is written in Arabic on the entrance door of many houses.
China is a huge country. There are 56 ethnic groups here. Among them, people of 10 nationalities follow Islam. They also have their own culture. There are many ethnic groups like Uyghur, Hui, Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Tatar, and Dongxiang, Salar etc who follow their own cultural characteristics and adhere to Islam as a religion.
There are more than 20 million Muslims of different nationalities all over China. Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has Muslims of several ethnic groups, including Uyghur. Ningxia is mostly inhabited by Hui people. Yunnan Province also has Muslims of many nationalities, including Hui.
Beijing, Kunming, Guangzhou, Kashgar, Shanghai, Urumqi, etc, all have multiple mosques. There are Muslim inhabited neighborhoods or mahallas. There are big mosques in different cities, where Eid congregations are held. There are small mosques in other neighborhoods where the five daily prayers and Jumma are performed. There are more than 29,000 mosques across China.
I will share my personal experience about Muslims in this article. I will share with the readers the way I have personally practiced religion in China as a Muslim.
First of all, let's talk about the largest mosque in Beijing.
The area with the largest Muslim population in Beijing is called Nuije. There are several large supermarkets and many small shops and restaurants. These are owned by Muslims, run by them. A variety of Halal meats and other items are sold here. When I was in Beijing (2011-12) I often bought slaughtered chicken, beef or mutton from here. I often ate at different restaurants in this area.
Nuijie is the largest mosque in Beijing. Its name is Nuijie Mosque. It is also the oldest mosque in Beijing. It was first built in 998 during the Liao Dynasty. The local Muslims in the area at that time built it on their own initiative. The exterior is built in the traditional Chinese style of architecture and the calligraphy is used in the Arabic style inside. The mosque was later rebuilt in 1443 during the Ming Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) many parts were rebuilt and many parts were extended. Many parts of the mosque were built during the communist government of China. The current government also plans to expand the mosque. The area has been home to Muslims for more than a thousand years. At present about 15 thousand Muslims live in the vicinity of this area.
Eid congregation is very big here. I have performed Jumma prayers and Eid prayers in this mosque. All men and women pray in the same mosque. However, there is a little space in the middle of the men's and women's queue. During the Eid, you can get the impression of a special festival from the subway. Muslim women, men, children and the elderly all started walking towards the mosque in groups. Traffic was stopped on this road on Eid day. The mosque is crowded on the way to prayers. During Eid, women pray inside the mosque and men pray outside. During the Eid, Eid fairs are held in the streets around the mosque. It is quite a big fair. Here mainly food items are sold.
I went to the fair and saw shops to sell traditional food of different nationalities of Chinese Muslims. Besides, various kinds of Halal food are being sold. Not only Muslims but also non-Muslims buy food from there. There are many more mosques in different parts of Beijing. At that time I was working for China Radio International. It is in the Shijingshan area of Beijing. There is a Muslim community nearby in this area. Also, there is a mosque. I have prayed Jumma prayers in that mosque many times. There are halal restaurants in all areas of Beijing. Roughly speaking, where there are ten restaurants, there must be one Muslim restaurant.
Now let's talk about the oldest mosque in China. I went to Guangzhou in 2014. One afternoon I went to see the Huaisheng Mosque. It is one of the oldest mosques in the world. Built in 628 AD, the mosque was built by an uncle of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The main building and minaret of the mosque are still in use. Specimens of ancient earthen walls are also preserved. Here ablution water is still supplied from a well of that time. It was a great feeling to pray in that ancient mosque on an autumn afternoon.
A significant number of Muslims live in the area surrounding the mosque. The Chinese government pays for the maintenance and expansion of the mosque. I visited these areas without any guide. So there is no doubt that I have seen the real picture. I have seen Muslims there doing business very well, independently. I saw them praying. No one is stopping them from practicing their religion. There I saw children and old people walking around in peace. I did not see any police or military personnel.
In October-November 2017, I had the opportunity to visit China for the fourth time in an 11-day program. The Chinese government took 12 Bangladeshi journalists on a tour of China as part of its media tour program. On that trip we traveled to five cities in four provinces.
Xinjiang is a Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. The capital of this region is Urumqi. The current Chinese government has spent a lot of money on development work here. I also talked to the Imam of the mosque and others in the Muslim community. They expressed great satisfaction with the current Chinese government.
There is a big place called Grand Bazaar or Mosque Bazaar. The architectural style of the huge minaret of the mosque is impeccable. I also got a chance for shopping.
Everyone around there is Muslim. Azan was also recited in the mosque. I saw groups of Muslims going to the mosque to pray.
In the city of Urumqi, Muslim men and women of different nationalities are freely choosing different professions. Many are doing business. They are running various businesses including restaurants and clothing stores. Like other cities in China, men as well as women are busy walking here. No matter which organization you go to, you can see the spontaneous and equal participation of women. Muslim children are studying in different educational institutions along with others.
There are many small and big mosques in Urumqi city. There is also a special area for traditional Hui food. There the Muslim Hui people run souvenir shops and many huge restaurants. They also hold special cultural events there. Currently (since 2018) I live in Kunming. I work in Yunnan Minzu University. There are several small and large mosques in Kunming. There is a multi-storey mosque in Nanping jie, the heart of the city. This is the central mosque. Eid congregation is held here. There is a Muslim community nearby. There is a big market there. The open market also sits in the morning. Various food items including halal meat are sold.
There are also halal food restaurants in other areas of the city. There is Halal meat shop. There are a lot of Muslims walking in the city of Kunming. Many women wear hijab on their heads, men wear hats. Every university in China has at least one Muslim canteen. Halal food is served there. There are mosques in every big city. No one prevents Muslims from practicing their religion. I have visited many Muslim villages in China. Nobody is unhappy or sad or under torture there. Their homes are well developed.
Many of my students and colleagues are also Muslims. They are also practicing their religion independently. Muslims have lived in China for thousands of years. They are living happily and peacefully with their Chinese heritage, their ethnic culture and religion.
Shanta Maria is a Bangladeshi teacher of Bengali language in Yunnan Minzu University