When Ma Ying’s six-year-old daughter came home from school one day saying she believed in Jesus, the reaction she received was of dismissal. “Who? What? No. We’re Hui. We’re Muslim,” she told her daughter. That was the first time she heard Jesus’ name. And thankfully, it wouldn’t be the last.
In the span of a day, there are many times when Chinese culture and my culture collide. Cultural awareness is heightened as soon as I walk out the door. Making and building relationships in the midst of conflicting cultural values can be challenging as well. However, Chinese culture is not the only culture I encounter regularly. Within China there are many minority groups who also have their own distinct values and beliefs. One of these groups is the Hui.
Growing up under intense Islamic influence, Maria* heard the call to prayer five times a day. She recited the Qur’an with neighborhood friends in one of the many mosques dominating her hometown landscape. “No matter how difficult and painstaking it is to learn Arabic, it is the most beautiful language given by Allah!” she was told. After graduating from high school, Maria left home to attend university in the provincial capital. Her father wished her goodbye with these stern words: “Never forget that you are a Muslim!”
A Muslim is required to say seventeen cycles of prayer each day. These cycles are usually spread over five times a day – at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening. The five prayer times can be observed individually or with a group. The noon prayer time on Friday is the time when most Muslims gather and pray together at the mosque.
“We are all scared, especially the women.” These were the words of my Hui friend concerning the coming judgment as I sat in her restaurant chatting during the rest hours of the day. This, among several other remarks, show how her culture’s application of Islam is overwhelmingly oppressive concerning women.