Muslims in the People’s Republic of China

With the aim of attracting investors from Arab countries, the People’s Republic of China purposefully presents itself pro-Islam, according to a study from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics”. Islam is being highlighted as a common ground towards potential Muslim investors. The study “Orientalisiert – Kriminalisiert – Propagiert?” (Orientalised – Criminalised – Propagandised?) published by Ergon Verlag., which originated under the direction of Islamic scholar Prof. Dr. Thomas Bauer in the Cluster of Excellence’s Graduate School, closes a research gap as Islam in China has so far barely been investigated from the perspective of Islamic Studies and of Sinology. For the study, Drewes conducted qualitative interviews with Muslims and non-Muslims in Germany, China and Egypt. In addition, she analysed the online editions of the Chinese daily, “Renmin ribao” (people’s newspaper), which is the official voice of the Communist Party of China, from 2003 to 2011.

Literature: Drewes, Frauke, Orientalisiert – Kriminalisiert – Propagiert? Die Position von Muslimen in Gesellschaft und Politik der Volksrepublik China heute (Religion und Politik, vol. 12), Würzburg: Ergon 2016.