A New Wave of Muslim Revivalism in Mainland China

Abstract

Since Deng Xiaoping adopted the reform and opening-up policy, the Chinese Communist Party`s (CCP`s) policies toward minority nationals in general and the Muslims in particular have had a tremendous effect on changing their attitudes and patterns of behavior. On the one hand, relaxation of policies has seen a growth in Islamic rituals and a movement toward Islamic roots; on the other, the new opportunities may have eroded the fringes of the Muslim community. The rising tide of Muslim fundamentalism around the globe and the increasing interest of the Muslim core in the Muslim communities on the periphery have brought closer links between the two parts of Islam and a growing awareness of the unity of the universal Umma of Islam. This has given rise to fundamentalist groups among Chinese Muslims, some of them violent. In Yunnan, where Muslims have confronted the authorities dating back to the Cultural Revolution, during which time Muslims were attacked and decimated, opposition has been persistent and deeply rooted.