SOUTHWEST CHINA MUSLIM POPULATION GROWING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000034

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DEPT FOR EAP/CM AND DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/2/2027
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KIRF CH
SUBJECT: SOUTHWEST CHINA MUSLIM POPULATION GROWING

CHENGDU 00000034 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: James A. Boughner, Consul General, United States
Consulate, Chengdu.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (SBU) Summary: Poor environmental and living conditions
where many Muslims live in China's northwest have contributed to
the expansion the Muslim population in the country's southwest
provinces. Almost all of Sichuan Province's 200 Imams receive
both religious and Arabic language training from Chinese
teachers in China, having little opportunity for contact with
foreign teachers. Muslim children usually learn the Koran in
their homes or in mosques, but there is no formal system for
youth education in Sichuan's mosques. Seventeen Muslims from
Sichuan participated in the Haj in 2006. The Government may
offer financial assistance to mosques in need of repair and in
financial difficulties. The mixed ages of Muslim believers and
the presence of young and energetic Imams in Sichuan contrasts
with the overall aging Christian and Catholic populations in
official churches in the province. End Summary.


2. (U) On February 1, CG, Congenoff and Consulate Economic
Assistant met with Guo Gaoming, Secretary General of the Sichuan
Islamic Association to discuss the status of Islam in Southwest
China.

Demographics of Muslim Population in Southwest China
-------------- --------------

3. (SBU) Guo said southwest China's Muslim population is
growing partly due to the poor environmental and living
conditions where many Muslims live in China's northwest.
Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Chongqing all experience incoming
migration from Muslims who come to engage in small businesses.
He attributed the recent growth of the Muslim population in
Chengdu to the fact the city has become a transportation hub and
information center, while historically, it was Yunnan which had
more Muslim migrants.


4. (SBU) Guo stated there are 112,780 Muslims in Sichuan
Province and 18,483 in Chengdu (Note: These numbers likely do
not take into consideration the migrant population or those with
household registrations outside of the province). Guizhou has
approximately 170,000 Muslims and Yunnan has even more, said
Guo. Sichuan has 125 mosques and 19 Islamic Associations.
Chengdu has 8 big mosques and almost every county in Chengdu has
one. The Huangchen Mosque where the offices of the Sichuan
Islamic Association are located, is the largest in the province.
(Note: the current Mosque dates to 1997. When the more historic
former structure was torn down in 1997, it led to a series of
demonstrations by Chengdu Muslims that lasted for approximately
one month. End Note.)


5. (SBU) In response to a question about the age range of
Muslims in Sichuan, Guo responded that unlike the Catholic and
Christian churches, Islamic believers had a wide age range,
including many younger adherents. (Note: In post's experience,
the majority of attendees at services in both the Three Selves
Patriotic Christian Churches and official Catholic church are
elderly women. End Note).


6. (U) Almost 98 percent of Muslims in China, including
Sichuan, are Sunni, according to Guo. He opined that there are
generally no conflicts between Sunnis and Shiites in China. He
indicated that both groups came to China over 1,000 years ago.
The first Islamic missionary in China was from Iran and came
during the Tang Dynasty. He started a mission in Shantai
County, Sichuan.

Training of Imams
--------------

7. (SBU) Guo said there are approximately 200 Imams (Chinese:
"Ahongs") in Sichuan. Almost all of them receive both religious
and Arabic language training in China with Chinese teachers.
The Sichuan Islamic Association, in coordination with the
Central level Islamic Association, occasionally provides
opportunities for Ahongs to travel to Islamic countries for
further education. In recent years, 10 individuals, who were
selected through a religious and Arabic language testing
process, have had this opportunity. The participants in these
programs generally travel to Egypt and Pakistan.


8. (C) Interaction inside of China with foreign Muslims is
limited. According to Guo, there is a regulation permitting
foreign religious teachers on condition of approval from the
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but no foreign Islamic

CHENGDU 00000034 002.2 OF 002


teachers have come to Sichuan to work. Guo stated there was
regular intra-province interaction with other mosques and that
members of the community also know their co-believers in other
parts of China, even though he did not directly admit to vibrant
religious exchanges outside the province. He remarked that
members of Chengdu's Pakistani community do not come to the
Huangcheng mosque to worship. (Note: Pakistan is in the process
of establishing a consulate in Chengdu and has had engineers
working with Chinese firms in the area on fighter aircraft
development projects for a number of years. End Note).


9. (C) CG chatted briefly in Arabic with one of four young
Imams present at the meeting. Guo and several other attendees
at the meeting did not understand the conversation and appeared
somewhat nonplussed. The Imam, who remarked he could also speak
and read Uighur, told CG he had studied in Yemen and Egypt.
(Note: All 4 Imams made a speedy exit when Guo began a listing
of Communist slogans on "harmonious society," and returned at
the end of the meeting. End Note.)

Education and Worship for the Young and Female Muslims
-------------- --------------

10. (SBU) Guo explained that Muslim children usually learn the
Koran in their homes or in mosques. However, there is no formal
system for youth education in the mosques. The ability of
families to provide Arabic language instruction to their
children depends on the family's economic situation. As for the
religious practice of Muslim women, Guo said women worship
separately from men, but participate equally with men in all
other religious activities.

The Haj
--------------

11. (SBU) Guo said pilgrimage to Mecca is organized by the
National Islamic Association. As incomes increase in southwest
China, more people want to participate. In 2006 approximately
9,600 Muslims from China, including himself and 16 others from
Sichuan, participated in the Haj. In response to a question
from CG, Guo responded that no one from Sichuan had received
financial support from the Saudi Arabia Government for the
pilgrimage. The Saudi Government has provided financial support
for one Sichuan Muslim to study in an Islamic country, he added.

Financial Support for Mosques
--------------

12. (SBU) Asked how mosques support themselves, Guo explained
the government encourages religious organizations to be
self-supporting. However, if mosques are too old, need repair
or restoration, and are in financial difficulties, the
government may offer some economic assistance . Huangcheng
Mosque, the place of worship of several hundred Chengdu Muslims,
was rebuilt in 1997 with government funding. Guo added that
several thousands believers generally participate in important
religious festivals.

Muslim Views of the United States
--------------

13. (SBU) When asked how Sichuan Muslims view the United
States, Guo said that from a national perspective, China and the
United States have a very good relationship. Muslims in China,
like other ethnic groups, should "stay in line" with the
principles of the country to build a "people-centered" and
"harmonious" society.

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

14. (C) The mixed ages of Muslim believers and the presence of
young and energetic Imams in Sichuan contrasts with the aging
Christian and Catholic populations in the province. There is
clearly information exchange occurring between different Muslim
communities in the southwest and some opportunity for overseas
travel for Imams. While the observation might be only anecdotal
in nature, Post has noted on a number of travels within the
district the interest of young Muslims in studying Arabic. Even
in Lhasa, we were impressed to find a young Hui Muslim working
in a mosque close to the Jokhang, Tibetan Buddhism's most holy
temple, who could speak Arabic. The young man indicated he had
been taught Arabic by his Imam who learned it while "studying in
South Dakota."
BOUGHNER