
Islam has been practised in China since the 7th century CE. There are an estimated 17-25 million Muslims in China, less than 2% of the total population. The Hui Muslims are the most numerous group, while the greatest concentration of Muslims reside in northwestern China's Xinjiang autonomous region, which contains a significant Uyghur population.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
--- | --- |
Percentage of Chinese Muslims | 1% to 2% |
Number of Chinese Muslims | 17 million to 25 million |
Chinese Muslims as a percentage of the world's Muslim population | 1.1% |
Number of Hui Muslims | 8.3 million to 9.8 million |
Number of Uyghur Muslims | 7.7 million to 11.8 million |
Number of Hui Muslims as a percentage of Chinese Muslims | 48% to 54% |
Number of Uyghur Muslims as a percentage of Chinese Muslims | 43% to 47% |
Number of Hui Muslims as a percentage of the Hui population | 48% to 60% |
Number of Uyghur Muslims as a percentage of the Uyghur population | 50% to 99% |
Number of Hui Muslims as a percentage of the world's Muslim population | 0.5% to 0.6% |
Number of Uyghur Muslims as a percentage of the world's Muslim population | 0.4% to 0.6% |
Number of Hui Muslims as a percentage of the world's Hui population | 99% |
Number of Uyghur Muslims as a percentage of the world's Uyghur population | 99% |
What You'll Learn
- Islam was introduced to China in the 7th century CE, and it is now practised by 1.8% of the population
- The Hui are the largest Muslim subgroup in China, and they are closely related to the Han Chinese
- The greatest concentration of Muslims in China is in the Xinjiang autonomous region, which is home to a significant Uyghur population
- The Chinese government has been accused of human rights abuses and genocide against Uyghur Muslims
- The Chinese government has banned several religious and spiritual groups, including Falun Gong
Islam was introduced to China in the 7th century CE, and it is now practised by 1.8% of the population
Islam has been practised in China since the 7th century CE, and it is now practised by 1.8% of the population. It is one of the five religions formally recognised by the People's Republic of China, the others being Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, and Protestantism.
Muslims constitute a minority group in China, with estimates of their population ranging from 17 to 25 million. The majority of Muslims in China are Hui Muslims, who are closely related to the majority Han population. Hui Muslims are found across China, with the greatest concentration in the country's northwestern Xinjiang autonomous region, which also contains a significant Uyghur population. Lesser but significant populations reside in the regions of Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai.
Islam was introduced to China in the 7th century CE, when Emperor Gaozong gave official authorisation to allow Muslims to practise their faith in the city of Xian, in the Shaanxi Province, in 651 CE. It is said that the Prophet Muhammad died in 632 CE, so the introduction of Islam to China occurred just 19 years after his death.
The Huaisheng Mosque in Guangzhou is thought to be the first mosque in the country, built in memory of Muhammad. It was constructed by Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, the maternal uncle and second cousin of Muhammad, who was sent to meet the Chinese Gaozong Emperor.
Muslims in China have managed to practise their faith for centuries, sometimes against great odds. Their introduction to the country came about through trade along the Silk Road, which was used since 1000 BCE and continued to be used for millennia. For more than half of this long period, most of the traders were Muslim and moved towards the East. They brought with them not only their goods but also their culture and beliefs.
Islam is one of the many religions that gradually began to spread across the Silk Road during the 7th to the 10th centuries through war, trade, and diplomatic exchanges. The early Tang dynasty had a cosmopolitan culture, with intensive contacts with Central Asia and significant communities of (originally non-Muslim) Central and Western Asian merchants resident in Chinese cities, which helped the introduction of Islam.
Muslims in China have historically been viewed with mistrust and treated as a community of foreign ancestry, despite centuries of intermarriage with Han Chinese and acceptance of local language and culture. This perception has facilitated the Chinese Communist Party's goal to assimilate ethno-religious groups in the country.
In recent years, Muslims in China have faced intensifying persecution and repression. They also face pressure to implement President Xi Jinping's sinicization policies, which aim to make religious groups more aligned with Chinese culture, morality, and doctrines as defined by the Communist Party.
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The Hui are the largest Muslim subgroup in China, and they are closely related to the Han Chinese
The Hui are descendants of Europeans, Arabs, Indo-Iranian Persians, Mongols, Turkic Uyghurs and other Central Asian immigrants. Their ancestors were of Middle Eastern, Central Asian and East Asian origin, who spread Islam in the area. Several medieval Chinese dynasties, particularly the Tang, Song and Mongol, witnessed foreign immigration from predominantly Muslim Persia and Central Asia, with both dynasties welcoming foreign Muslim traders from these regions and appointing Central Asian officials. In subsequent centuries, the immigrants gradually spoke Chinese and settled down, eventually forming the Hui.
The Hui were referred to as Han Hui by Bai Chongxi, the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China at the time and the founder of the Chinese Muslim Association. Some scholars refer to this group as Han Chinese Muslims or Han Muslims, while others call them Chinese Muslims, Chinese-speaking Muslims or Sino-Muslims. The Hui were also called Han people Muslims by some. The Hui nationality is the most widely distributed ethnic minority in China, and it is also the main ethnic minority in many provinces. There are 10,586,087 Hui people in China (2010 census), accounting for 0.79% of the total population, making them the third-largest ethnic group after Han Chinese and Zhuang.
The Hui are the most numerous Muslim subgroup in China, but they are closely related to the Han Chinese. They are descendants of various ethnic groups, including Europeans, Arabs, Persians, Mongols, Turkic Uyghurs, and other Central Asian immigrants. They are predominantly Chinese-speaking and are distributed throughout China, mainly in the northwestern provinces and in the Zhongyuan region. The Hui were officially recognised as an ethnic group in 1954, and the government defines them as all historically Muslim communities not included in other ethnic groups. They are distinct from other Muslim groups, such as the Uyghurs. The Hui have a unique connection to Islamic culture, following Islamic dietary laws and dress codes, and they have developed their own variation of Chinese cuisine. They are the third-largest ethnic group in China, with a population of over 10 million as of the 2010 census. They are the most numerous Muslim subgroup, but they are closely related to the Han Chinese due to their shared ancestry and cultural similarities.
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The greatest concentration of Muslims in China is in the Xinjiang autonomous region, which is home to a significant Uyghur population
The Xinjiang autonomous region is China's largest political unit, covering about one-sixth of the country's territory. It is home to a significant Uyghur population, who are the largest minority ethnic group in the region. The Uyghurs are a Turkic people who live primarily in Xinjiang, northwestern China, and are predominantly Muslim.
Xinjiang is divided into two main geographically, historically, and ethnically distinct regions: Dzungaria in the north and the Tarim Basin in the south. The region is bordered by the countries of Afghanistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, and Tajikistan. The rugged Karakoram, Kunlun, and Tian Shan mountain ranges occupy much of Xinjiang's borders, as well as its western and southern regions.
Xinjiang has a long history of diverse ethnic groups and religions. It has been inhabited by Indo-European Tocharians, Iranian Sakas, nomadic tribes, and Uyghurs. The region was brought under the rule of the Qing dynasty in the 18th century and has been part of the People's Republic of China since 1949.
The Uyghurs make up about nine million people, or about half of Xinjiang's population of 20 million. They are concentrated in the southern Tarim Basin, while the Han Chinese, who make up 55% of the region's population, primarily live in the north. The region is also home to other ethnic groups, including Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Mongols, Russians, Sibe, Tibetans, and Tajiks.
Xinjiang has experienced unrest in recent decades due to the East Turkestan independence movement, which seeks to establish an independent country in the region. The Chinese government has responded with a series of ongoing human rights abuses, including the mass detention of Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in internment camps. The Chinese government denies these allegations, stating that its measures are necessary to prevent terrorism and root out Islamist extremism.
Xinjiang's economy is largely based on agriculture, mining, and oil and gas extraction. It is China's largest natural gas-producing region and has abundant reserves of coal, oil, and minerals. The region's unique geography, with its mountain ranges and basins, has also made it an important trade hub, connecting China to Central Asia and Europe.
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The Chinese government has been accused of human rights abuses and genocide against Uyghur Muslims
The Chinese government has been accused of committing crimes against humanity and possibly genocide against Uyghur Muslims and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The Uyghurs are the largest minority ethnic group in China's north-western province of Xinjiang. They make up about 12 million people, mostly Muslim, and see themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations. They make up less than half of the Xinjiang population.
The Chinese government's oppression of Turkic Muslims is not a new phenomenon, but in recent years has reached unprecedented levels. As many as a million people have been arbitrarily detained in 300 to 400 facilities, which include "political education" camps, pretrial detention centers, and prisons. Courts have handed down harsh prison sentences without due process, sentencing Turkic Muslims to years in prison merely for sending an Islamic religious recording to a family member or downloading eBooks in Uyghur. Detainees and prisoners are subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, cultural and political indoctrination, and forced labor.
The US is among several countries to have previously accused China of committing genocide in Xinjiang. The leading human rights groups Amnesty and Human Rights Watch have published reports accusing China of crimes against humanity.
The Chinese government denies all allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. In response to the Xinjiang Police Files, China's foreign ministry spokesman told the BBC that the documents were "the latest example of anti-China voices trying to smear China". He said Xinjiang enjoyed stability and prosperity and residents were living happy, fulfilled lives.
The Chinese government says the crackdown in Xinjiang is necessary to prevent terrorism and root out Islamist extremism and the camps are an effective tool for re-educating inmates in its fight against terrorism.
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The Chinese government has banned several religious and spiritual groups, including Falun Gong
Falun Gong was initially supported by some government agencies. However, its rapid growth and independence from state control led several top officials to perceive it as a threat, resulting in periodic acts of harassment in the late 1990s. In July 1999, the Chinese government implemented a ban on Falun Gong, categorizing it as an "illegal organization". Mass arrests, widespread torture and abuses followed. In 2009, human rights groups estimated that at least 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners had died from persecution by that time. A 2022 United States Department of State report on religious freedom in China stated that "Falun Gong practitioners reported societal discrimination in employment, housing, and business opportunities".
Falun Gong practitioners have attempted to control English Wikipedia articles covering the group and articles related to it. Falun Gong adherents in the United States developed Ultrasurf and Freegate, freeware intended to circumvent Chinese government internet censorship. In 2010, the US State Department offered a $1.5 million grant to the Global Internet Freedom Consortium founded by Falun Gong adherents that developed Ultrasurf and Freegate, drawing opposition from the Chinese government.
Falun Gong practitioners outside China have filed dozens of lawsuits against Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Bo Xilai, and other Chinese officials alleging genocide and crimes against humanity. Falun Gong has filed the largest number of human rights lawsuits in the 21st century and the charges are among the most severe international crimes defined by international criminal laws.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, there are an estimated 17-25 million Muslims in China, less than 2% of the total population.
Yes, the Chinese government recognises five religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Daoism, Islam, and Protestantism.
Yes, the Chinese government has been accused of human rights abuses and genocide against Uyghur and other Muslims.