Posted on 10/17/2004 10:41:41 PM PDT by Destro
This article was published by F18News on: 28 September 2004
CHINA: What you can't do in a mosque
By Igor Rotar, Central Asia Correspondent, Forum 18 News Service, and Magda Hornemann, Forum 18 News Service
In Xinjiang region, Forum 18 News Service has seen an instructional display outlining banned activities. Such instructional displays are normally hidden from the public, and are thought to apply in mosques throughout China. Among banned activities are: teaching religion "privately"; allowing children under 18 to attend a mosque; allowing Islam to influence family life and birth planning behaviour; propaganda associated with terrorism and separatism; religious professionals acquiring large sums of money; the declaration of "holy war" (jihad); and promoting "superstitious thoughts". These displays are not compulsory in non-Muslim places of worship and Forum 18 found no such displays in Xinjiang's two Orthodox churches. Also, the mosque's "democratic management committee" must conduct regular sessions propounding legal regulations and party policies. Such party-appointed committees oversee activities in places of worship and are also known to exist in Tibetan Buddhist temples.
On 21 September, Forum 18 News Service studied a display that the authorities have ordered local imam Musu Ma to hang in his office in the Dungan mosque in the town of Burqin, 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of the district centre of Altai [Altay], in the far north of China's north-western Xinjiang-Uighur autonomous region. The display – believed to be typical of those required by the authorities in mosque offices and normally hidden from public view – spells out what the authorities will not allow in a mosque, including teaching religion "privately", allowing children under 18 to attend and allowing Islam to influence behaviour in the areas of family life and birth planning.
The Dungan mosque serves mainly members not of the Uighur population (the largest Muslim community in Xinjiang) - or at least the majority of worshippers are not Uighurs. Most of the Muslims who attend, according to the display, are Huis - Muslims of Han Chinese ethnicity - and Dongxiang.
Musu Ma reported that similar displays hang in the offices of virtually all the imams of Xinjiang's mosques. Such displays are known to exist in Hui mosques in Beijing and elsewhere in China, while places of worship of other ethnic minority faiths – especially Tibetan Buddhist temples – are believed to have similar displays.
At the top of the Chinese-language display at the Dungan mosque are photographs of the mosque leaders while underneath are photographs of officials of the mosque management committee.
The display is divided into sections setting out the restrictions on the mosque's activity. The top right hand section lists the five items that should not be brought into the mosque, including personal and family disputes; disputes over marriage and birth planning; youths under the age of 18; and statements and "illegal propaganda materials" associated with the "three forces" of terrorism, "splittism" (the official term for separatism) and extremism.
The display sets out the prohibition on religious professionals acquiring large sums of money and material goods for presiding over weddings, funerals and other ceremonies. It also warns against performing the reading of the "Nikha" (the Muslim marriage contract) to couples who have yet to receive marriage certificates from the state authorities.
In addition to the other prohibitions, one section lists a further ten items that must be resolutely cracked down. These include the propagation of ethnic separatism, the declaration of "holy war" (jihad) and inciting religious fanaticism; using religion to intervene in administrative, judicial, education, marriage, and birth planning matters; using religion to promote reactionary views such as "pan-Islamism" and "pan-Turkism"; holding "private" religious classes and acquiring "private" students in religious venues and by religious professionals; and promoting "superstitious thoughts".
Also required, according to the display, is that the mosque's "democratic management committee" (DMC) should conduct regular sessions for religious professionals and lay persons propounding legal regulations and party policies. Such committees are party-appointed bodies that oversee what goes on in each religious venue.
Similar "democratic management committees" are known to exist in Tibetan Buddhist temples. The International Campaign for Tibet reported that they have been set up "in all monasteries and nunneries" in Tibet to implement Party policies and regulations. "DMCs act as the eyes and ears of the Party in monasteries and nunneries," it reported. "In conjunction with ad hoc government 'work teams', DMCs search for suspected dissidents in monasteries and nunneries. A number of monks and nuns have been expelled from their institutions and even arrested on the recommendation of their DMC."
Forum 18 notes that national-religious committees, which form part of the administration of every city, at least in areas of China with large ethnic minority populations, also maintain control over the lives of believers. Communities may only function once they have registered with the national-religious committee, and their leaders have to be drawn from people whose candidacy has been approved by the authorities. The leaders of all religious communities have to attend meetings of the national-religious committees. At the meetings, officials explain to leaders of religious communities what policy they should pursue with believers (see F18 News 20 September 2004 http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=414 ).
The display also requires all religious venues to display land certificates, building certificates, imam qualification certificates, operating permit, joint management contract, and the appointment certificate of the head of the religious venue.
Musu Ma told Forum 18 that the mosque can conduct marriage ceremonies and celebrations of childbirth only with the specific permission of the authorities. He also emphasised that the authorities do not prevent children from being circumcised.
Forum 18 saw posters in mosques in Kashgar (southern Xinjiang) in 2003 stating that underage children were not allowed to attend mosque, but did not see such posters this September in the cities of northern and central Xinjiang. Believers who preferred not to be named told Forum 18 that such posters are not generally hung at mosque entrances, but usually there are displays in the imams' offices containing detailed instructions from the authorities, which will only be shown to foreigners with the utmost reluctance.
Interestingly, such displays are not compulsory in non-Muslim places of worship. For example, Forum 18 found no such displays in Xinjiang's two Orthodox churches, in the towns of Ghulja (Yining), capital of Ili-Kazakh autonomous prefecture, or Urumqi [Ürümqi].
For background information see Forum 18's Xinjiang religious freedom survey at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=414 and survey of the prospects for religious freedom in China at http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=292
A printer-friendly map of China is available from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=asia&Rootmap=china
the Taiping Rebellion (a protestant inspired religious movement) happened around the same time period (1850s-1860s) as the Muslims declared jihad on the Qing Dynasty Chinese empire.
Please give examples of this cooperation.
I think the islamites realize China has no hesitation in awarding them and any of their associates capital punishment if they tried.
I recall the deaf man caught for the April 2000 Shijiazhuang bombing that claimed the life of 108 Chinese and injury of 38 more. He was caught in June of that year and executed in July by firing squad.
Our hesitance to reward terrorists justly will keep China from joining us, as they would see the US as a hinderance to their justice, somewhat like we see Europe as a hinderance to ours, re: the death penalty. (Wow, I hope that comes across as I intended)
At least they are allowed to exist as a religion in China.
How many Christian churches are allowed in Saudi Arabia? Pakistan? Iraq? Afghanistan?
That would be per se
And...
A little learning is a dangerous thing.
If you are going to be insufferable, at least get things right first.
I understand that by 2020, China will have more Christians (and those being tested by the fires of persecutions the West can't begin to fathom) than all of the West combined. I asked another fellow forumite whether he believed it more crucial to be a "Christian" nation or to be a nation of Christians. I believe the arrogance of the first is put to shame by the strength of the last.
When I was in Bejing, the first place I happened upon on my first "outing" in the city was a church tucked out of sight, in a quiet alley, old - but strong and beautiful in character. I began to see it was so similar to the Christian church in China - it's tucked away, old, unique in its character - and beautifully bringing our almond-eyed brothers and sisters to Christ.
The map is my proof - where is your proof that the Xinjiang Muslim areas were not part of historic China?
Oh - making fun of my typos notthe facts! Talk about insufferable!!
Islamism vs. Communism. Which is worse, the disease or the cure?
"This is good. Now the Muslims will start bombing buses and cars all over China, and we will gain yet another ally in the War Against Islam."
Not likely. If they did go after China they would get a vicious crackdown which would make them look for a softer target, i.e., the West.
It isn't surprising to see some here laud the Chinese Communists' persecuting and thwarting of others' right to worship.
I don't know how "communist" China is these days. Nationalistic? Tyrannical? Yes - but communist? More like hard socilaisim?
I think you're right, evidenced by the "softening" of the CCP leadership's position on "rights" and property ownership. Allbeit far from perfect, it's a distant step from what it was in 1986 or even 1996.
Actually, not very, I think. But Islam is not the only religion which is controlled--see Tibet and the whole Falun Gong issue. Radical Islam is problem, but I'm sure encouraging religious repression is the right answer.
China is moving from totalitarian to authoritarian (and historic China has always been an authoritarian regime). Ideology does not matter as much as the need to control society for order's sake.
And yet here Mumia sits on death row more than a decade after murdering a policeman in cold blood. Sick.
I've been reading "Jesus in Beijing," by David Aikman, former Beijing Bureau Chief for Time Magazine, who believes that China is being slowly and quietly Christianized. He reports that Chinese Christians, very much aware of the threat organized religion presents to the government, have adopted the tactic of working with local government, when possible, to demonstrate how Christianity improves the lives and work ethic of its citizens.
Given the historical record of Islam, it would make sense that the Chicoms view it with a much warier eye than Christianity.
Rather than the traditional self-immolating, confrontational mode, Christian missionaries have adopted softer tactics, such as gaining access to the country as English teachers, who, while not allowed to proseletize publicly, are privately spreading their faith.
Whether the trend will hold is a good question, given China's reactionary xenophobic history, but the book is fascinating.
I believe China NOW has 10's of thousands MORE authentic Christians than the USA has.
And, they PRAY vs just talking and meeting about praying.
And their prayers come out of great insight born of suffering beyond what most in the US imagine.
Almost 20 years ago, a confidential government leaders only doc got leaked outlining the good points of Christians and encouraging leaders to hire them etc. as a counter to corruption etc.
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