- Chinese officials and scholars gathered in Urumqi in July to discuss the “Sinicization” of Islam in Xinjiang. They aimed to meld Islam with Confucianism by releasing a “new Chinese Qur’an” aligned with secular spirit.
- The Chinese Communist Party’s objective is to exercise greater control and seeks to align Islam with Confucianism. These efforts, however, are met with skepticism regarding their potential success, given the enduring significance of the Quran to Muslims worldwide and the preservation of the sacred text for 1400 years!
In late July, a gathering of Chinese government officials and scholars, as documented in Chinese Communist Party plans, convened in Urumqi to deliberate on Xinjiang’s implementation of a nationwide initiative to “Sinicize” Islam. Curiously, they chose not to address the destruction of religious sites, the burning of Islamic texts, or the ‘re-education of Uyghurs’ in concentration camps. Instead, they focused on their unfinished task, a five-year plan launched in 2018, asserting that Islam itself required further transformation. Specifically, they aimed to intertwine Islam with Confucianism, envisioning the release of a new “Chinese Qur’an,” translated and annotated to align with the so-called contemporary spirit.
Wang Zhen, a professor at China’s Central Institute of Socialism, sponsored the event and emphasized said, “Sinicizing Islam in Xinjiang should reflect the historical rules of how society develops, through the consolidation of political power, the pacification of society, and the construction of culture,” This institute operates under the Communist Party’s United Front Work Group, which oversees religious affairs and formulated the Sinicization plans.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has consistently perceived religion as a threat. This evidently highlights the weakness of its own tyrannical regime. Over the years, it has persecuted and ethnically cleansed Uyghur Muslims using varying propaganda slogans and intensifying measures. However, following a campaign recognized as genocide by the United States, the CCP has essentially eradicated any public practice of Islam in Xinjiang that it doesn’t directly oversee. Now, it seeks to engineer a ‘new version of Islam’ aimed at further binding Chinese Muslims, including Uyghurs, to the state’s control.
The ultimate objective of Sinicization, as explained by David Stroup, a lecturer in Chinese Studies, is to increase supervision. The Party intends to bring all aspects under its control, a feature outlined in a 32-point plan initiated in 2018. This plan acknowledged challenges, such as the prevalence of foreign architectural influences in mosques, foreign clothing among Muslims, and overuse of the halal label. In response, the Party intends to increase religious personnel, provide a new interpretation of the Quran and Hadith through a new annotated version, and promote the use of Confucianism for scriptural interpretation.
The Party’s aspiration to employ Confucianism for interpreting Islamic scripture refers to the Han Kitab, a collection of Islamic texts written in Chinese during the Qing Dynasty, which utilize Confucian concepts to elucidate Islamic theology. These texts were produced in eastern China and were never part of Uyghur Islamic tradition. Stroup highlights that the CCP is positioning this as the sole correct religious practice in China, an interpretation that selectively aligns Islam with Confucianism and Chinese tradition.
In addition to the Chinese translation of the Quran, there is contemplation of a Sinicized Uyghur translation. Many Uyghur Muslims hold the 1980s Arabic-to-Uyghur translation by Muhemmed Salih in high regard. However, this translation was removed from bookstores around 2010, replaced by a widely criticized group translation sold at a high price. Salih himself passed away in police custody in 2018 at the age of 82. The Party argues that times change, and societal improvements necessitate a re-evaluation of holy scripture.
It is imperative to acknowledge that the Qur’an has remained unaltered for over 1400 years, with every letter meticulously preserved. It is reverently recited by billions of Muslims across the globe, and its verses are committed to memory by individuals spanning from the age of eight to eighty-five. The audacious endeavours of the Chinese Communist Party in this regard are destined to falter and crumble in the face of the Qur’an’s power, timeless resilience and unwavering significance.
