(BBC News) Louisa Lim - Ningxia province is the heartland of Islam in China - and the base of Hong Yang, a Muslim leader who commands a million Chinese followers. There are 20 million Muslims in China, and Hong Yang is a government advisor. These days an Islamic resurgence is taking place, but China's leaders fear the fervor of faith. In the past, rebellions brewed in Ningxia province. Jin Meihua, 40, is one of a handful of Chinese female imams and runs a mosque exclusively for women, something unknown anywhere else in Muslim countries, says Maria Jaschok from Oxford University. According to Dr. Khaled Abou el Fadl from the University of California in Los Angeles, ancient traditions like female jurists - which have been stamped out elsewhere - have been able to continue in China. "The Wahhabi and Salafis have not been able to penetrate areas like China and establish their puritanical creed there," he said.
2004-09-24 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive