I didn't want to contradict my interlocutor, who seemed convinced that all his Muslim brothers are faithful practitioners, but, according to Prof. Feng Jinyuan, an expert in Islam from the Institute of World Religions under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, only 50,000 to 100,000 of the 20 million Chinese Muslims strictly observe under any circumstances the commands of their religion, including salat (prayer) five times a day, facing Mecca.
When someone dies, the imam conducts the funeral and the situation is instructive. Muslims bury their dead three metres underground and the site itself is covered by an empty tomb above ground.
In a wedding the imam also has a role to play; when a man and woman know each other well, are in love, and want to start a family together, the imam is called upon to marry them. The ceremony takes place at the bride's home. After prayers, advice to the young couple, and exchanges of marital commitment, a piece of nang (bread) is dipped into a bowl of salted water, and the spouses eat it. The newlyweds don't wear a ring or other visible symbol of their union. The couple receives a marriage certificate from the People's Republic of China as citizens of this country and an Islamic certificate befitting Muslims. Celebrating a Muslim marriage is a function of the imam, while taking part in the following banquet is a personal choice.
I have noticed that Uyghurs often drink alcohol, and I asked Abdurakip what he thought about that. "Alcohol is strictly forbidden to Muslims. It is not right to drink alcohol, but as anywhere in the world, there is good and bad," he said. On the contrary, for example, if women don't go to the mosque, it is a habit in Xinjiang, not a prohibition. Normally, women can enter a mosque, but they have to cover their arms. However, they cannot enter during menstruation. Foreign tourists can enter but they must respect the rules.
Ten Muslim ethnic groups lived in Xinjiang 1,000 years ago. In China – the country where among the highest number of ethnic groups and religions coexist. Isn't that amazing? Unfortunately, in some parts of the West, Islam is not so well-known and people ascribe agendas to Islam that have nothing to do with its foundations but that belong to groups of extremists that China, along with the rest of the world, fights fiercely.
Upon reflection, this is a miracle of harmony. Before Islam was introduced in China, Zoroasterism, Buddhism, Taoism, Manichaeism, and Nestorianism were already being practiced in Xinjiang, due to the Silk Road, and propagated at the same time as primitive local religions and Shamanism. After the introduction of Islam, not only was the coexistence of several religions maintained in Xinjiang but Protestantism and Catholicism were added. Abdurakip is 45 years old and his wife is 10 years younger. The couple has three daughters of 14, 9, and 6. When I went to their home to take a picture of the girls and their mother, the youngest was asleep and the mother was not home. The older two were very polite despite their shyness. I commented to the second one, "You paint your eyebrows?" and her father answered with an affectionate smile that she was already a lady. In fact, Uyghur women often draw a black line joining both arches of their eyebrows. It surprised me when I saw that on my first visit to Xinjiang but I became used to it. A nation's criteria of beauty are not universal.
The imam has been to Mecca three times, heading a delegation of Chinese Muslims in 1994, 2000, and 2005. Before the foundation of the New China in 1949, only 42 Chinese Muslims had been to Saudi Arabia. Starting in 1980, with the restitution of religious freedom, there have been at least 3,000 a year; their numbers increase year after year and has now caught up with other countries' averages, and 30 percent are women. Every year, 12 to 15 Xinjiang persons, one per prefecture and municipality, are chosen and their pilgrimage expenses are covered by the state. The others go independently or are subsidized by Muslim institutions. I often hear people joke, "When they are young, they have no money to go, and when then have money, they are too old." I asked what the criteria are for selecting the lucky few who will benefit from a free trip. "Their level of Islam knowledge. This means that before 50, one is seldom ready because of work, the children to educate…. After 70, it is too late because if anything were to happen abroad, such as a heart attack or a respiratory failure, who would be responsible?”
Abdurakip is from a non-educated, peasant family. How did he reach such a high level at his young age? He answered, "I had a goal, and I walked straight toward it, working very hard." The Institute of which he is in charge is one of 10 of its kind in the country; 58 persons work there.
The imam told me about a 23-day trip he made in Syria, by way of the Netherlands and Italy. Once, he went to Cairo via Thailand. Cooperation with Egypt in matters of Islamic education is very strong and, presently, 64 Muslims from China study in that country. Being curious, Abdurakip asked me about life in Italy, a country about which he wanted to know more. In 1994, he went to Saudi Arabia, and, in 2000, to the United Arab Emirates, always in the capacity as an imam. He frequently goes to Beijing, the national capital, for meetings and congressional functions mostly. In his free time, he adores reading, especially books on religion. His remaining leisure time is occupied with sleep.
(Source: Foreign Languages Press)
