Social customs have adjusted to Chinese traditions. The central core of the family is the patrilineal extended family. Except for diet and religion, much of their way of life is indistinguishable from fellow Chinese. Their dialect incorporates borrowed words from Arabic and Latin, and Hui restaurants have Arabic as well as Chinese characters advertising their service.
Islam has been adjusted to Chinese life. Most Hui are Sunni of the Hanafi school, but local sectarianism is common. Old sects exhibit local Chinese adaptations, made during Chinese isolation. New Sects were developed out of 18th century contact with the Middle East and the desire to "purify" Chinese Islam. Pir worship is common. There are some 40,000 mosques officially reported in China and the Hui have received somewhat preferential treatment by the People's Republic. They are seen as important in cultivating the Muslim world.
The Hui enjoy many privileges that characterize China's ethnic minorities: they receive government subsidies for the more expensive beef and 1amb; they are allowed more than one child. The government has also subsidized the reconstruction of mosques and has given permission for Islamic literature to be published and sold. In 1989, China's first Muslim university opened in Xian.
Hui have called for a greater voice in their own affairs-calls that have reached the government and been heard. In 1989, in Beijing, prior to the Tiananmen Square incident, 3,000 Muslims protested the publication of the book Sexual Customs because its Chinese authors stated that Muslim culture was centered on sex. The government listened, banned the book, fired the editors and required the authors to apologize in public.
The first influx of Muslims into the area came from 618-906 A.D. when Muslim Arabs and Persian merchants settled in the seaports of Canton, Guangdong, Guangzhou and Fujian. In the middle of the 8th century, the Emperor called on the Arabs to quench a rebellion in Northwest China where they had settled. From 1260-1368 AD, the Yuan Dynasty recruited Muslims as soldiers and administrators. These later settled in Yunnan.
However, between 1368-1644, the Chinese wanted to rid China of foreigners. In order to avoid persecution Muslims adopted Chinese culture and language. Over time, their appearance became indistinguishable from that of native Chinese though they retained their Islamic roots and culture. As a result, these Muslims became known as the present day Hui minority.
From 1644-1911 bloody rebellions and retaliations characterized the Hui relationship to the Han. Between 1911-1949, the Hui and other Muslims in China renewed contact with the greater Muslim world where Islamic education and construction of mosques was increasing. In 1949, twenty thousand Hui fled to Taiwan with the Chinese nationals who fled following the Communist victory in the mainland.
During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Red Guards closed or destroyed mosques, forced monks and nuns to violate their vows or executed them, prohibited Arabic teaching and burned copies of the Koran.
The Gedimu follow traditional Sunni Islam. These came when the first Arab, Persian, Central Asian and Mongolian Muslims came and settled in China. Today, Gedimu communities are found throughout China but have moved away from the border areas. Mosques were built Chinese-style-temples with symmetrical courts and sweeping roofs. Each village is centered around a mosque where the ahong (religious leader) taught for about three years before moving on to another mosque. The council of local senior elders and the ahong looked after the affairs of the Hui community and invited imams to come speak to the people.
The Hui involved in Sufism comprise only 20% of all Hui. Sufi orders began between the late 17th century and the early 18th century; the four main orders of today descended from that era. The four orders or menhuan ("saintly descent groups") are the Qadiriyya, the Khufiyya, the Jahriyya, and the Kubrawiyya. These orders changed the pattern of the Hui community in that the ahong remained in one jiaofang (a mosque community) for an extended period of time rather than only three years. Within these four main orders there are numerous smaller menhuan and branches.
Hui enter these orders through ritual or birth but seldom have allegiance to two orders at one time; this is unusual compared to other Sufi orders. In addition, the government has established the Chinese Islamic Association (CIA) to monitor and control the Muslim minorities. It has a more lenient view towards Islam than Christianity because Islam is seen as indigenous.
The Qadiriyya was the earliest order established. It emphasized Sufi mysticism focusing on the tombs of saints rather than on mosques and emphasizing meditation more than the "Five Pillars of Islam." It combined Daoist mysticism, Confucian morality and Buddhist folk rituals with Islamic content.
The Khufiyya and Jahriyya sects descend from the now extinct order of the Naqshbandiyya. The Naqshbandiyya emphasized active participation in worldly affairs. They believed in political activism based on Islamic principles and the veneration of saints. They visited and meditated at saints' tombs, seeking guidance and inspiration. The Khufiyya emphasize participation in society, the veneration of saints, the search for inspiration at the tombs of saints and the dhikr (silent remembrance). Most live in Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia or Xinjiang. The Jahriyya identify themselves with Arabians rather than Chinese. They advocate vocal "dhikr" (vocal remembrance) and oppose the veneration of Islamic saints. This sect has had a history of unsuccessful rebellions that have led to their dispersion throughout China and the establishment of five sub-branches: Shagou, Beishan, Xindianzi, Banqiao, and Nanchuan.
Hui men are identified by their white or black hats without bills and their beards. Many of the women are veiled or wear headscarves but their faces are not covered.
Islam penetrated China's interior during the next two centuries. Today ten of China's 55 official ethnic minorities are Muslim. The nearly nine million Hui are the largest of these Muslim groups. Some Hui are descendants of Muslim men who married Chinese women, while others are recent converts to Islam. They speak the Mandarin Chinese language with some borrowed Arabic and Persian words. What sets them apart is their Muslim religion. Hui men wear a round white cap to distinguish themselves as Muslims, and they refuse to eat pork, drink alcohol, or engage in gambling. Many younger Hui practice Islam only nominally but continue to resist assimilation into Han culture. Close-knit Hui communities centre around restaurants and mosques and the leadership of powerful religious leaders.The Hui faith is very complex with its wide variety of sects and menhuan (saintly lineage) groups/orders. However, all Hui can be roughly broken down into two Sunni groups: the non-Sufi and the Sufi orders. Almost eighty percent of the Hui are non-Sufi and about twenty percent are Sufi.
(continued...)