We were driving through the countryside with a Salar woman and her 7-year-old daughter to visit her family in her hometown. Along the way we passed through small villages and found it fascinating that they alternated between Muslim villages and Tibetan villages. The Tibetan villages were obvious with their brightly colored prayer flags flapping in the wind, while in the Muslim villages the minaret could often be seen from the main highway. As we passed through the villages, our friend would explain to her daughter that they were Muslims, who only believed in one God, Allah, and that they were different from the Tibetans who worshiped many different idols and did not follow Allah.
The Salar, like the Hui and the Dongxiang, are very intentional in teaching and reminding their children that they are different from others around them because of their faith in Islam. Many children attend classes on the weekends at the mosque to learn about the Quran and to study Arabic. Some even attend schools set aside for Muslim minority students. Unfortunately, while it is often emphasized that there is one true God, these students and children don’t learn about the God of the Bible and His Son, Jesus, who loves them so very much and died for them. Pray for the Muslims of China to hear the Good News of Jesus and to learn of the one true God of the Bible.