@Stuttgart001 @TaiShang
Would you guys be willing to participate in a more open conversation about this subject here -
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/chinese-thoughts-on-islam-and-muslims.524724/
You have both told me things that I did not previously know. I feel there is a greater benefit in learning from each other on this subject.
You made a mistake. Chinese people do know Islam has been in China for one thousand years. The ancient Chinese history books have recorded a lot of things what muslim people have done in ancient China.
Sorry to tell you. Many bad things happened again and again.
The normal scene was muslim people took the advantage of the crisis of China central government and tried to build a islamic regime by slaughering non-muslim people or converting them forcibly. But in the end, all the attempt s failed only caused huge harm to Chinese non-muslim people and Chinese muslim.
During 1860s, the rebellion caused by Hui muslims made a loss of 20 million population of Han people.
The last attempt (the three districts rebellion)happened in 1940s when China was in the civil war, during which the Ugyhur slaughtered nearly 300 thousands non-muslim people (mostly Han people ,also include Mongolian and Manchurian)in Xinjiang and claimed they were the only native people of Xinjiang and tried to build a state named east-Turkistan. Untill now, some ugyhur extremists bragged how bravely their grandfather butchered Han Chinese during such rebellion.
Trust me. Chinese people know Islam. How could not we know Islam ? Chinese have deal with muslim for more than a thousand years. There are so many Hui muslim living in inner area of China.
We Chinese respect Pakistan and do not want to trigger disputes. We hope Pakistan people respect our culture and stop imposing your religion on us.
I am unaware of this history. Do you think these rebellions were rooted in religion or politics?
I think we know very well and we get by well, mostly. What we would not tolerate is the even a slight hint at eroding the authority of the state over the religion which assumes universality and disregards nation state. That kind of sentiment will hardly be tolerated by us.
Islam is percieved in this way. The truth is Islam does not preach disregard for the state, but it does teach the supremity of God. Muslims who live in non Muslims states are bound to respect the laws of those lands and be loyal to that land, unless those laws compel them to do something that is against the religious values.
For example, Chinese people love pork, Islam forbids the consumption of pork. a Chinese Muslim should not eat pork personally, but has no religious authority to compel anyone else on the matter.
If the state were to impose an unjust law that everyone must eat pork than the Muslim has a duty upon himself to not obey that law. The Muslim can disobey that law by not eating pork, or by speaking out against the law, or even by holding the belief that the law is unjust. If there is no scope for the law to be changed the muslim is duty bound to migrate to somewhere else.
Having said all that, Islam provides flexibility on this matter. For example if the pork is the only source of food available then the Muslim is permitted to eat it if he or she is at risk of falling ill or dying. Also if by disobeying the law the Muslim is likely to be physically harmed, they can also eat the pork.
I don't think any of that is unreasonable - do you?
Definitely agree. I guess everybody should hold on their own belief/ideology and abandon metanarrative or false universality. No matter how much one claims his/her culture know no boundaries and is exportable, that is an offense for a nation that has survived as a state even longer than the first known organized Middle Eastern religion.
I agree with this sentiment. Islam teaches that the best example of Islam is the actions and behaviours of Muslims themselves. The focus for Muslims should be to set the best example of how to live life according to islamic principles by actually abiding by those examples ourselves, rather than trying to project them and their virtues upon others. If indeed we are successful than people will themselves become interested.
Who are the "we"? Pakistanis, or British Muslims or all Muslims regardless of nationality? I guess, if you really attempt a PR as an ideology claiming universality, that would be the worst of a PR in our eyes. Promote your nation, culture and local traditions and arts, that would be much more meaningful and acceptable.
All three. Muslims are not a monolithic block but we do have a pan-national sense of identity. Muslim communities have been maligned as such by the Western media when it has suited their agenda to paint their imperialist attacks on Muslims countries as a "clash of cultures".
Individually as countries and pan-nationally as a religion we have failed to counter the western narrative and expose what they portray as a clash of cultures for it's real face - a resource grab through brutal force by the Americans and their allies.
The problem is "pan-nationally" we don't have an organisation to represent us, that finished with the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924.
I do not see China would even allow a slight hint of religious ideology surpassing state's authority and universality claims trample upon that very authority.
What do you mean when you say universality?
