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China's Cultural Revolution
China's
Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976 marked a period in the country's history
of the annihilation of religion, especially that of Islam. During this
time the Muslims were subjected to constant attack with public posters
hung in what is now the capital city of Beijing, calling for the abolition of Islamic practices. Muslims were also
forbidden to learn Arabic, Turkish and Farsi languages and many Masjids
were either destroyed or closed down to be used for non-religious
purposes.
A very commonly cited hadith of the Holy
Prophet of Islam ('s) says to "seek knowledge even it it is in
China." 18 years after the Holy Prophet's ('s) death in
29AH, Islam was first taken to China by
his ('s) maternal uncle, Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqaas (r.a.). Yung-Wei,
China's Emperor respected the teachings of Islam and ordered the first
Masjid to be established in the city of Canton known as the "Memorial
Mosque".
Muslim Victories
Following
this period, many Muslim trading activities brought traders and merchant naval movements
to settle in China. One of the first Muslim settlements in China
was established in port city of Cheng Aan during the era of the Tang
dynasty. The increased number of Muslims also led them to be progressively
victorious in many battles, one of which in 133 A.H. led to the control over the entire
region of Central Asia. These victories opened the doors of China for the Muslims to spread and
propagate Islam.
As the number of Muslims grew and intermarried, the influence of Islam
also became greater as many Masjids, schools and madrassas were
established. In the 1790's these Islamic schools were attended by as many
as 30,000 students from other countries such as Russia and India.
Tyrannical Manchu Dynasty
During the period of 1644-1911, China was ruled by the tyrannical Manchu
dynasty who were oppressive and waged 5 wars* against the
Muslims. Despite the continued slaughter of Muslims and the destroying and
burning of Masjids, Muslims remained strong in Turkestan and set up an Islamic state that lasted from 1867 to 1877.
The new Turkish-Chinese Muslim power in Central Asia, comprised of the provinces of
Yunan, Szechawan, Shensi and Kansum,
were seen as a great threat to world powers. During this period, the
Muslims also
rallied the Muslims of Tibet to rise up against the Chinese.
After the Communist takeover in 1949, Mao
Tse Tung continued the persecution and torture of China's Muslims and
annexed the land of Eastern Turkistan
to then be called the Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, the home of
the Uighur people, who are still greatly suffering today.
Genocide of 38 million Muslims
It is estimated that the population of Muslims in China in 1936 was 48,104,240
people. This number was reduced to 10 million after the new tyrannical
rule introduced its policies, therefore causing the apparent disappearance
of around 38 million Muslims in what has only been concluded to have been
genocide and wholesale destruction of the Muslim Community of China. Until
today there has not been any official explanation or investigation
into this.
Further genocides of Muslims today continue in Palestine, Gujarat [India], Albania,
Afghanistan and Iraq. Wholesale annexation of Muslim lands continues
unabated in The Philippines and all of the aforementioned and is expected
to continue with the support of western nations led by Zionist Israel.
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* The five wars waged against the
Muslims were Lanchu (1820-28), Che Kanio (1830),
Sinkiang (l847), Yunan (1857) and Shansi (1861).
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