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