Playing its card on enticing Muslim religion, China rolls out its own version of Islam adding a pinch of socialism

Beijing, March 28: Getting things done on their own terms and condition with having a safe backup is what China has been doing for ages. In more simple words ‘Kisi aur ke kandhe pe bandook rakhkar apna kaam chal lena’ is how China has been playing safe.

 

Turning tables to its side, China has passed a new law that seeks to "Sinicize" Islam within the next five years. This is ought to be the latest move by Beijing to rewrite how the religion is practised. In a meeting with the representatives from eight Islamic associations, government officials "agreed to guide Islam to be compatible with socialism and implement measures to Sinicize the religion."

During the meeting, participants agreed to guide Islam to be compatible with socialism and implement measures to Sinicise the religion. This is China's important act to explore ways of governing religion in modern countries. The Chinese government officials has always regarded the Islamic religion to "mental disease" that "needs to be cured".

Practising Islam has been made forbidden in parts of China, with individuals caught praying, fasting, growing a beard or wearing a hijab, a headscarf worn by Muslim women, facing the threat of arrest. In the past, Beijing has adopted heavy-handed measures with the authorities confiscating copies of the Quran, issuing diktats to Muslims not to grow beards, and not choose names for their wards which sound "too Islamic".

There are over 20 million Muslims in the country. Islam is one of the five officially recognised religions in atheist China. The other four are Taoism, Buddhism, Catholicism, and Protestantism.

However, the country has also faced harsh remarks and criticism by international organisations for reportedly detaining over 1 million Muslim Uighurs in indoctrination camps in Xinjiang. China has embarked on an aggressive "Sinification" campaign in recent years with faith groups that were largely tolerated in the past seeing their freedoms shrink under Chinese President Xi Jinping.