A Chinese Ninjabi

Ninjabi seems to be a peculiarly American Muslim term which means a hijabi who looks like a ninja. Here is picture of a Chinese Muslim sister who looks like a ninjabi from Flickr that someone set me.

Chinese Origin of Paper Money in the Islamic World

Paper money was first invented in China in the 13th century and soon made its way to Islamic world. In both of these places it did not survive for long. Paper money was first introduced in the Islamic world by the Mongol ruler Gaykhatu of the Il-Khan dynasty who ruled the present day Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. However the experiment did not succeed. In China paper money was used for much longer but its used died out until it was reintroduced by the Western world. Interestingly the paper money issued in the Islamic lands had both Arabic and Chinese text. Here is a relevant excerpt from applied history tutorial from University of Calgary.

Gaykhatu, who succeeded him. Eager to make a name for himself as an Il-Khan, Gaykhatu introduced paper money from China into Islamic trading circles. Islamic merchants in the Il-Khanate refused to accept the unrecognisable new money, however, and trade came to a virtual standstill. The experiment was such a disaster that Gaykhatu was forced to abandon it after six months, and the ensuing rebellion ousted him from power in 1295.

A Hong Kong Blogger’s Observations on Islam in China

Brandonzin, a blogger from Hong Kong has a post about ethnic minorities in China and he also discusses Muslims in China, here is a relevant excerpt.

Muslims can be seen almost everywhere in Dongguan and Shenzhen, the southern part of Guangdong province, which are the cities I mostly frequented. Most of them operate restaurants, noodle shops or stalls. They appear to get along with the rest of the Han people very well. They do not seem to feel alienated as most of the residents there are from other provinces or other cities of Guangdong. The Chinese Muslims in the area speak Mandarin or Putonghua and my personal experience was that they are just as economically minded as we Han people.

If one thought that the Muslims in China are being purged by the China authorities or the Han people, I think he is wrong. As can be seen from the link in question, Muslims’ mosques can be found in major cities in China and their religious rights or freedoms are, to a great extent, respected . I found out that there is one mosque in the middle of Shenzhen, a special econominc zone, close to the border of Hong Kong. Honestly, although the mosque is quite modest is size, I have not seen a christian church or a buddha temple that big in the southern part of Guangdong, if at all.

A Muslim Village in china - Wen Min

Anak Alam, a Muslim blogger has a small but fascinating description and pictures of a predominantly Chinese Muslim village in the Yunnan province. Check it out here.

Inscription at Ashab Mosque in China

Here is translation from an inscription at Ashab Mosque also known as the Huaisheng (devoted to the Prophet”, or else “devoted to the sage” ) Mosque.  (Source: China Heritage Quaterly).

This was the first mosque of the people of this land. This auspicious mosque is named the Mosque of The Ancient and The Old, is called the Mosque of the Congregation and the Street, and is titled the Mosque of the Companions. It was built in the year 400 AH (Song dynasty; 1009CE). Three centuries later, Ahmad bin Muhammad Quds, the renowned Hajji, the “Foundation”, of Shiraz, built this soaring dome, widened the entrance, redecorated the doors and renovated the windows, completing the works in the Hijra year 710 AH (Yuan dynasty; 1310CE). May the Almighty God be pleased by this act, and grant him mercy, and have mercy upon (the Prophet) Muhammad and his family.

Ibn Batutta’s Observations in China

Ibn Battuta the famous 13th century Muslim traveler from Morocco. He was an extremely well travelled man of his day. He traveled from Morocco to all the way to China. He was greatly impressed by the Chinese people and the amount of wealth in that country. Here are some observations that Ibn Battuta made in China, taken from an article in the Aramco magazine.

“We entered the harbor in great pomp, the like of which I have never seen in those lands,” he noted, “but it was a joy to be followed by distress.” Then he describes the great Chinese junks that monopolized traffic to China.

The large junks had three masts and up to twelve sails, which were “never lowered, but turned according to the direction of the wind.” Three smaller vessels usually accompanied the junks to tow them if they became becalmed. The junk was the fourteenth-century equivalent of the modern ocean liner. It even carried its own fresh food: “The sailors,” notes Ibn Battuta, “have their children living on board ship, and they cultivate green stuffs, vegetables and ginger in wooden tanks.”

When Ibn Battuta finally sailed again for China, he landed at Zaytún, the storied “Shanghai” of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, which may have been what is today the island of Amoy, opposite Formosa. He traveled through China as an ambassador, although he actually represented no one and was without credentials. Despite the fact that the Muslim and Chinese empires were not on the friendliest terms, Ibn Battuta journeyed from Zaytún to Hangchow and Peking and back without any difficulty. On the contrary, he was feted in most places, a testimony to his charm and native diplomacy.

“There is no people in the world,” noted Ibn Battuta, “wealthier than the Chinese.” He called Hangchow “the biggest city I have ever seen on the face of the earth.” This was the same city described by Marco Polo as “beyond dispute the finest and noblest in the world.”

Chinese American Muslims in NYT

The New York Times recently had an article on home education amongst American Muslims. Incidentally the article also mentions Chinese American Muslims. This also shows that although there are not many of us but there are still a few.

Huihui-li or Islamic Calendar

Here is an interesting fact: Huihui-li is a Chinese translation of a Astronomical handbook with Tables in Farsi from the Islamic world. It was translated at the Islamic Astronomy Bureau in the Chinese Capital. during Kublai Khan’s time. Huihui-li was used in conjunction with the official Chines calendar for more than 300 years. Different versions of Huihui-li are recorded in the Chinese and Korean sources and were even studied by Japanese Astronomers of the time. There is also some evidence that Huihui-li was based on observations made at the Islamic Astronomy Bureau as a result of collaboration between Persian Muslim astronomers and Muslim and non-Muslim Chinese astronomers and thus may not be an exact translation.

Source: Highlights of Astronomy: As Presented at the Xxiiird General Assembly of the IAU, 1997 edited by J. Andersen

Request for Feedback: Anime and Manga with Islamic Themes

Anime and Manga are usually considered to be a very Japanese phenomenon but China and Korea have their own respective traditions of these art forms. In case of Chinese it is known as Manhua and in case of Korean it is known as Manhwa. My question is thus not strictly related to anything regarding Islam in China. I have met many Muslims who are big fans of Anime and Manga and yet I have never come across any Manga either by Muslim artists or with Islamic themes. Thus if anyone knows of such a resource then please let me know. If there is none then I would like say to the Muslim artists out there: “What are you people waiting for?”

Hui Muslim Bussinesses targeted in Tibet

While the news media has been abuzz regarding the recent unrest in Tibet and people have noted the damage to Tibetan and Han Chinese businesses in Tibet, Hui Muslims working in Tibet have greatly been effected by the violence. Many if not most of the meat shops in the area are owned by Muslims and were targeted by the rioters. Here is an excerpt from BBC:

Most of the Chinese and Hui Muslim places were targeted, many Hui Muslim beef shops were burnt, also stationery shops, banks, a wholesale market at Tsomtsikhang (one of the most important Tibetan markets, where many shops are owned by Chinese and Hui Muslims).