It was in early September, just as the summer heat began to die down and the cool fall air was rejuvenating life in our city. We were on our way to a nearby university to play frisbee in hope of meeting some students, and we decided to stop for dinner at a restaurant owned by a man from our people group. Students were still returning for the new school year and the streets were not quite as feverishly busy as they would be in the coming days. My wife and our sons had only just arrived when I had gotten out of my taxi along with my mentor to walk the rest of the way to the store front.
Down a small dirt alley hidden in the middle of the city are old broken down apartment buildings with no running water, no toilets and no central heating or air. My friend, Li Hua, lives in one of these small studio apartments. Half of the apartment is taken up by a kang, a wooden box that is used as a bed as well as place to eat and sit. A small wood stove sits in the middle of the room surrounded by a few stools.
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.
One of the most important times of the year for Chinese Muslims is The Festival of the Sacrifice or the Qurban Festival (Eid al-Adha). It is a holiday that all Hui celebrate regardless of whether they weekly attend the mosque or only go for important occasions.
“What minzu (people group) are you?” As he stood in the identification card office, he was a taken back by the question. Normally you don’t choose your people group, this is determined at birth. This was the question asked to my friend’s parents back in the Cultural Revolution. They were part of the population who were sent to western provinces to learn from the farmers. “Hui,” he answered with a smile. Finally, he fully identified with his new found religion. Their Han heritage was no longer what they clung to. They were now Hui.
