Ramadan in Peace for Chinese Moslems

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 17, 2001

Ramadan in Peace for Chinese Moslems

Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, is traditionally a time of Islamic brotherhood, solidarity and charity. It takes place in the ninth month of each year by the Islamic calendar. Li Qihui, just like more than 20 million Chinese Moslems, enjoys her time and rights for prayer services during Ramadan. Chinese Moslems have convenient access to prayer services as there are more than 34,000 mosques across the country.

About Ramadan

Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, is traditionally a time of Islamic brotherhood, solidarity and charity. It takes place in the ninth month of each year by the Islamic calendar.

This year, Ramadan ran from November 18 to December 17 by the Gregorian Calendar. It ended upon the sunrise Monday.

Li's Life During Ramadan

Li Qihui got up at 4 a.m., and half an hour later, she arrived at the Niujie Mosque in downtown Beijing, just in time for the morning prayer service during Ramadan.

"Every day I went to the mosque five times in Ramadan. My colleagues understood that and sometimes when I was busy with daily work, they helped me deal with the things so that I could be punctual for the prayer services," said Li, a 74-year-old deputy to the Xuanwu District People's Congress.

Li was among more than 20 million Chinese Moslems who observed during the month of Ramadan in peace, strictly following Islamic doctrines, praying five times a day in mosques and abstaining from meals, drinks, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk.

The Islamic rules excuse those who are traveling, ill, pregnant or aged from the fast.

Convenience for Chinese Moslems

Mosques

Chinese Moslems have convenient access to prayer services as there are more than 34,000 mosques across the country, according to Imam Chen Guangyuan, president of the Islamic Association of China.

Rights & Freedom

"Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Moslems' religious rights and freedom have been well protected by the Constitution and law," Chen said.

The 1,000-year-old Niujie Mosque and the 500-year-old Dongsi Mosque are the two most famous ones in the capital. The municipal government allocated special funds for repairs on the buildings for a number of times during the past 50 years.

Restaurants & Stores

What's more, Beijing has 988 Moslem restaurants and food stores. Some supermarkets have opened special food stands for devotees of Islam.

Moslem, Han Residents Get Along Well

Local Moslems and other residents of the Han nationality, the largest group in China, get along well. During various festivals, many Moslems distribute their traditional food to the Han neighbors as gifts, while many Han residents also present gifts to their Moslem neighbors.

"Thanks to social stability and rapid economic growth in the country, Chinese Moslems are able to enjoy a peaceful and comfortable Ramadan," said Hang Enliang, 91, a local Moslem resident.

The old man, who watches TV programs and listens to radio broadcasts every day, shows his concern about the current events in parts of the Islamic world.

"We Moslems oppose violence and terror, and advocate peaceful co-existence among peoples of different cultures and religions," Hang said.

Backgrounder:

Most of the 20 million Muslims in China live in Xinjiang Uygur and the Ningxia Hui autonomous regions in Northwest China, with about 700,000 in Henan Province in Central China.

Ancestors of Muslims can be traced back to the envoys trading among the Tang Empire, Persia and Arabia in the sixth century AD.

There used to be some conflicts between the Hui and Han people in past history, when the Qing government implemented a policy of racial discrimination. But these conflicts are in the past, as Han nationalism was extinguished and now economic development is bringing people together.

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