Chinese Muslims and the Global Ummah: Islamic Revival and Ethnic Identity Among the Hui of Qinghai Province

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Table of Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 11
1 Xining’s Islamic landscape......Page 12
The ethnographic context: seeking universality between Han majority and ethnic minority......Page 17
A methodology of crossing boundaries......Page 18
The Hui ethnic category......Page 21
The Hui within the Chinese state......Page 25
Religious revival and Hui identity......Page 28
Subjective transformation and public manifestation of Islamic revival in China......Page 29
Outline of the book......Page 32
2 Old teaching, new teaching: a historical overview of Islam in China......Page 34
Origins of Chinese Islam......Page 35
Structure of traditional Chinese Muslim communities......Page 36
A brief history of Sufism in early modern China......Page 37
Muslims in the People’s Republic......Page 40
Selective memory among modern Chinese Muslims: “it is better now”......Page 46
The development of Yihewani......Page 47
History of Salafiyya in China......Page 50
Characteristics of Salafiyya......Page 53
Dueling scripturalists: conflict between Yihewani and Salafiyya......Page 55
Tabligh Jama’at: in the footsteps of the sahaba......Page 59
3 Huizu (回族) learning to be Muslim (穆斯林): reaffirming and redefining modern Islamic identity......Page 64
Mr. Ma: an ethnic Muslim......Page 66
Reaffirmed Muslims......Page 69
The lonely road to authenticity......Page 83
4 Rectification of names: imams, mosques, sects, boundaries......Page 85
The role of ahong......Page 86
Min Ahong: the uncrossable borders of traditional Chinese Islam......Page 90
Jin Biao Ahong: Xining’s foremost Yihewani cleric......Page 92
Ahmed Ahong: from urban strife to village life......Page 95
Ma Ahong: new shepherd of Xining’s Salafiyya......Page 100
Isa Ahong: from Yihewani to Tabligh Jama’at to undercover Salafiyya......Page 103
The role of a Salafi lay imam: a consultation on Islamic law......Page 109
5 Performing the path of the sahaba: walking with Tabligh Jama’at......Page 113
Sectarian considerations: what Tabligh Jama’at is not......Page 116
Conflicting modes of revival: Tabligh Jama’at versus Salafiyya......Page 120
Methods of jama’at......Page 122
Going out and looking in: lessons from my jama’at......Page 127
Tablighi performances......Page 133
Individual reform......Page 134
An insider’s critique: Ayoob and Tabligh Jama’at......Page 136
Tabligh Jama’at and Islamic revival in China and beyond......Page 138
6 Paths to Islam and Salafiyya: harnessing the transnational to empower the individual......Page 144
China’s new Muslims: individual transformation in pursuit of the universal......Page 148
Seeking answers and authenticity: converts to Salafiyya......Page 165
Founding Salafi mosques......Page 173
Conversion as rational self-discovery......Page 175
7 Secular nation/imaginary ummah: Chinese Muslims in the national public sphere and transnational imaginary......Page 178
Mr. Han: A retired cadre devoted to study of Islam......Page 182
Guo: an up-and-coming Salafi bureaucrat......Page 185
Guo’s Yihewani “hard sect” wife......Page 186
Muslim revival and the CCP gospel of development......Page 188
Ilyas: an international businessman in support of democracy and human rights......Page 192
Xinjiang: Chinese Muslims’ internal other......Page 194
Osama: foreign exchange student and al-Qaeda sympathizer......Page 196
Islam and the transnational imaginary......Page 198
8 An ummah of individuals......Page 203
In search of authenticity......Page 205
Religious and secular morality in Chinese society......Page 207
Islam and the discourse of national development......Page 211
Identities and communities: ethnic, religious, transnational, and universal......Page 214
References......Page 218
Index......Page 224