China Islamic Association

China Islamic Association is a national religious Muslims of all ethnic groups. Venue is located in Beijing. In July 1952 by the Muslim celebrities package Farhan Shahidi, Liu Ge-ping, Saifuddin Azizi, Yang Jingren, Pu-sheng, Ma Jian, Pang Shiqian, Ma Yuhuai launched in Beijing and other preparations for May 11 next year establishment of the China Islamic Association. This is unprecedented in Chinese history the first unified national Islamic organization, and its establishment marked the realization of China's great unity of all Muslims for the party and government and between all Muslims put up a bridge. Association was founded more than 50 years has held eight times the national representatives to the previous president are: Hans Bauer ¡ Shahidi, Muhammad Ali, Zhang Jie, Elias, Shen Hsia-hee, saliha, Shi-wei, the incumbent President is Xilalunding Chen Guangyuan.

Association's main business and work tasks are: (A) In the Constitution, laws, regulations and policies and regulations of Islam within the context of service activities; (B) The Muslim masses are concerned about religious issues, according to the spirit through the training to meet the requirements of social development and interpretation. (C) to hold Islamic education and train the Islamic teaching personnel; (D) identify, organize an excellent historical and cultural heritage of Islam to carry out the Islamic academic and cultural research, compile, publish books by the membership; (E) establish and improve the management of Islam within the rules and regulations; (F) to guide the academic work throughout the Islamic Association, exchange of experience; (Vii) the promotion of Islamic associations and mosques set up around the benefits the country and serve the community, the cause of charity and self-raising; (8) is responsible for organizing people of all nationalities to visit the Muslim holy pilgrimage to Mecca to fulfill their homework; (Ix) to carry out Muslims and Islamic organizations with countries friendly exchanges, enhance exchanges and cooperation. The Association has the functions of institutions are: the Academic Department, International Department, Office of Hajj, the Research Department, Editorial Department, and offices operational agencies.

The Chinese Islamic Association mainly engages in collecting and collating Islamic books, records, and cultural relics; researching Islamic history and creeds; and organizing pilgrimages to Mecca. The Association publishes Muslims in China, a bimonthly founded in 1957. It is published in Chinese and Uygur. Its contents include the results of research into Islamic history and doctrine, recommendations on Islamic classics, and discussions about the implementations of the governments policy on freedom of religious belief, The magazine introduces to its readers the teaching experiences of the Islamic institutes in various parts of the country and the principles of democratic management for the mosques. Furthermore, it reports on Chinese Muslims contributions to activities designed to safeguard world peace and on their friendly relations with other Muslims in the world.

Ten Islamic classics, including the Koran, have been translated into Chinese and Uygur and published under the direction of the Chinese Islamic Association. These books are distributed all over China. The association has also published some Islamic dictionaries. It encourages Muslims to strengthen national unity and take an active part in Chinas modernization.
In July 1955, the Chinese Islamic Association set up a national Chinese Islamic Institute in Beijing for the training of specialized Islamic personnel. Here they hold advanced training classes for Ahungs and mullahs (Islamic scholars). The five-year course of study includes classes on the Koran, religious etiquette, creeds, history of Islam, Arabic language, Chinese language, politics, and general history of China and the world. About 70 percent of the curricula are Islamic courses and 30 percent courses for raising the general educational level of the students.

There are also eight other Islamic institutes in China. They are in Shenyang, Zhengahou, Lanzhou, Yinchuan, Qinghai, Urumqi, Junming, and one more in Beijing. Students can enter these institutes directly after high school graduation. The training course is aimed toward producing Ahungs for the many mosques in China. Such training is considered of primary importance by the Chinese Islamic Association because there are still some senior Imams in rural and grassland areas of China who don??t even know how to read and write.

The Chinese Islamic Association has established friendly relationships with Islamic organizations in more than 40 countries, sent delegations to visit these countries many times, and taken part in the Asian-African Islamic Conference and the international Islamic Thought Seminar. Each year there are about 2,000 Chinese Muslims who go to Mecca on pilgrimages. Flights from Beijing alone, in 1989, carried 900 Chinese Muslims to Mecca.,

Author/Editor By : HCT

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