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Islam in China
Until now, we have discussed the growth of movement
toward Islam after the fall of communism. The situation is a little
different in China, one of the last bastions of communism. Here,
Islam is on the rise, but because Mao's Red ideology is still
in effect, opposition toward religion is continuing apace. Religious
figures are still being arrested and tortured, places of worship
are being closed, and people are not free to worship or practice
their faith. In the small mosques and places of prayer where the
state permits worship, strict discipline is enforced by the police
and the military. For example, in Eastern Turkestan (Xinjiang),
Muslims cannot perform their prayers in their preferred mosques
or remain in the mosque as long as they want. If they work in
a state office, they cannot fast or perform their prayers. Those
Muslims who go to the mosque are closely watched by secret police
agents. Muslims under the age of 18 cannot receive a religious
education, and if the government discovers that they have started
to study the Qur'an, no matter how old they are, they are arrested
and their families are penalized. But this official policy of
pressure and violence does not prevent people from turning to
religion.
(Above right) A report entitled
"China's Islamic Concerns" tells about Beijing's uneasiness
over Islam's growth. In April 2001, Beijing decided to
establish the Chinese Islamic Union with 16 clergy on
the board of directors. In this way, China hopes to keep
an eye on every kind of Islamic activity. (Above left)
A BBC report entitled "China's fearful Muslim minority"
spoke about Beijing's oppression of the Uighur Muslims.
Especially after 9/11, China increased pressure on its
Muslims using the struggle against terrorism as a pretext,
trying in this way to cover up its human rights violations.
This tactic did not escape the attention of Western human
rights organizations, and the BBC report focused on these
violations. (For more detailed information, see Harun
Yahya's Communist China's Policy of Oppression in East
Turkestan.)
(Below left) China seeks its religion.
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Despite the strict implementation of these measures,
as the Asian edition of Time magazine reports, religion in China
is growing:
Despite China's
efforts to restrict religious expression, however, the spiritual
awakening of its citizens isn't about to dissipate. Although the
ruling Communist Party remains officially atheist, the collapse
of Maoist ideology created a vacuum that religion is helping to
fill. 79
However much the communist regime in China may
contest these figures, about 200 million Muslims live there. Despite
everything, the number of those who perform acts of worship has
increased. 80
Anyone
who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will
give them a good life and We will recompense them according
to the best of what they did.
(Qur'an, 16:97) |
79. "Land of Spirits,"
Time Asia, January 24, 2000.
80. "Report on Chinese Muslim Population,"
http://www.themodernreligion.com/convert/china.html.
   
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