Transformations of Religious Trends in Modern Chinese Islam

Abstract

The transformation of different religious trends in Chinese Islam from it's beginning to the present time and the influence of Chinese foreign policy changes on the development of these trends are examined in the article. Islam first appeared in China during the Tan dynasty and since that time it has undergone quite a number of changes both under the influence of Chinese culture and the Muslim world. There are different trends in Modern Chinese Islam: «gedimu» (from the Arabic word meaning «old»), different sufi schools, which are very popular in North-West China. As a result of China's interaction with the Middle East the «Ihewani» and salafiya trends appeared in the country. Nevertheless these trends cannot be considered as imposed ones because they have features and specific character typical of Chinese Islam.

Keywords

• religious trends
• china
• islam
• the tan dynasty
• the middle east