Sinicization of Islam Through the Historical Evolution

On March 22nd, 2023, the holy month of Ramadan started. Millions of Muslims across the globe observe a foundational pillar of practicing Islam – fasting during the month. According to officials1, China is home to almost 35.000 mosques of which 25.000 are in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The Niujie Mosque (牛街礼拜寺), one of the most famous mosques in China, gathered Muslims to celebrate the start of Ramadan (see fig. 1). As observers noticed the number of attendees was relatively small, mostly the older generation and some children. The ban on Islamic classes in mosques for youth may be a reason. It’s hard to find any children’s literature or other information on Islam in mosques as well as online on Taobao or other Chinese platforms2. The introduction of Islam into China is evident from the 7th century onwards. Dru C. Gladny, Raphael Israeli, Jonathan Lipman, and Michael Dillon among many other international and Chinese scholars focus on the history of Chinese Islam and Chinese Muslim identity. However, the work of Western scholars on Islam in China is entirely separate from the work of Chinese scholars, especially during the Xi Jinping era due to the sensitiveness of this topic and obstacles of the field studies arrangement. The Sinicization of Islam3 has been remarkably apparent in the history of China and it has been the subject of debates in various academic circles. During the Xi Jinping era, this discourse was mostly ignored due to political circumstances. This article aims to introduce scholars’ opinions on the historical background of Islam in China across the largest Chinese Muslim ethnic groups – Hui and Uyghur. In terms of understanding the Chinese Muslim identity in contemporary China, it’s important to go through its historical evolution. Sinicization of Islam is a crucial part of it. The brief overview of the main papers of scholars would help future researchers to navigate the Islam introduction to China and generate more public discussions on the topic of the Sinicization of Islam.