CHARISMATIC MUSLIM CLERIC SHUT DOWN BY KUNMING

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 013289


THIS IS A CHENGDU CABLE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/18/2008
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PGOV CH
SUBJECT: CHARISMATIC MUSLIM CLERIC SHUT DOWN BY KUNMING
ISLAMIC ASSOCIATION

Classified By: Consul General David Bleyle.
Reasons: 1.5 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. An independent Muslim cleric in
Kunming, Yunnan Province, was banned from preaching by
local Islamic officials after he began to attract
large crowds to his mosque. Although qualified as an
Imam, the cleric got on the wrong side of Chinese
officialdom after he traveled as a youth to study at a
madrasa in Pakistan without permission. End Summary.

Popular Imam Banned in Kunming
--------------


2. (C) The local Islamic Association in Kunming,
capital of Yunnan Province, has banned a popular
independent Muslim cleric from preaching and teaching,
the cleric's wife told ConGenOff recently. The
cleric, Ma Jingxin (strictly protect, had been drawing
crowds to his sermons at the Wang Qi Yin Mosque,
northeast of Kunming's city center. Official
tolerance for Ma ran out earlier this year, when he
was told he could no longer serve as an Imam at the
mosque.

Increased Attendance Drew Attention
--------------


3. (C) Before Ma began teaching at the Wang Qi Yin
Mosque in early 2001, only a few dozen men would
appear for Friday prayers and the madrasa had only
about ten students. Under his guidance, the mosque
thrived, Ma's wife told us. Hundreds would show up on
Fridays, and madrasa enrollment increased to around
seventy. Attendance began to decline again after Ma
stopped leading the congregation. Ma was not
prevented from visiting the mosque, and still goes
there almost daily to pray and meet with other
adherents.

A "Bad Element"
--------------


4. (C) As a youth, Ma had traveled to Pakistan--
without official permission--to study in a madrasa.
When he returned to China, he was declared ineligible
for government employment and barred from leadership
roles in China's officially sanctioned Islamic
organizations. Although qualified as an Imam, and
respected as such by many of his peers, he was
prevented from serving as one. Many others who went
abroad to study Islam had been similarly blackballed,
Mrs. Ma stated.

Background Note
--------------


5. (C) ConGenOff first met Ma, a Chinese Muslim or
"Hui," during a personal visit to Kunming in 1996,
when Ma offered to sell him some examples of his
calligraphy. Ma uses traditional Chinese materials
(paper, ink and brush) to write prayers and sayings in
Arabic, creating a unique form of Islamic art with
Chinese characteristics. Ma was not at home when
ConGenOff sought him out during a recent visit to
Kunming, but his wife was eager to share his story.


6. (C) The area where Ma lives, in the heart of the
former Muslim quarter, has been greatly diminished in
the past seven years. Most of the quarter's old
houses were torn down to make way for a park that
serves occupants of adjacent high-rise apartments. A
small neighborhood mosque still stands, though Ma's
family has had conflicts with its leadership.

Comment
--------------


7. (C) Historically, relations between Hui and non-
Muslim Chinese in Yunnan have been rocky and,
occasionally, violent. As an "unlicensed" Imam, Ma
was able to preach as long as he did not attract
attention to himself. When the crowds grew too large,
authorities apparently stepped in to shut him down.
Presumably, recent global events have also led local
authorities to be more mindful of Islamic activism,
particularly when coupled with unsanctioned teachings
from foreign schools.

MARINE