Generation of new imams preach peace

China will support the education of religious professionals to ensure they are fully prepared to carry out their duties and build the trust of believers, President Xi Jinping said at a religious affairs conference in Beijing last month.

As a result, the next generation of religious professionals and leaders, such as those studying at the China Islamic Institute in Beijing, will play an important role in guiding their congregations and ensuring that they follow the path of peace.

The young graduates' informal approach and their modern take on religious faith have seen them became increasingly popular among believers in mosques around China. To meet the rising demand for young imams, the school has decided to raise student numbers in September, the start of the academic year.

Students read the Quran during a class at the China Islamic Institute, the country's top academy for Quranic studies, in Beijing. Photos by Wang Zhuangfei / China Daily

After four years at China's leading center for Islamic studies, the graduates can recite the Quran in flawless, unaccented Arabic. Meanwhile, their youth means they understand how to use social media platforms to spread religious knowledge and answer questions about issues - both domestic and international - that concern Muslims. Younger people find it easier to communicate with religious leaders of similar age who share many of the same interests.

People often find it hard to reconcile Ma Jiacheng's youth with his status as the imam, or religious leader, of the biggest mosque in North China. They expect to meet a grave, elderly man, not a smiling 26-year-old who left college only last year.

Ma is among a number of recently appointed young imams taking a new approach to religious teaching by combining their understanding of Islam with new ideas, in the hope of generating and reinforcing positive images of China's Muslims.

He first visited the Doudian Mosque in Beijing's Fangshan district in 2013, when he was a student at the China Islamic Institute. Now, he is entering his ninth month as the imam of the center, which features a prayer hall big enough to hold 2,000 worshippers.

He was appointed to the post after he graduated last year, replacing the previous incumbent, who retired. Five of his classmates are now imams at mosques around China.

Young graduates of institutes across the country have become a major force in driving Islam in China forward, helping young Muslims to identify and reject extremism.

Ma, from Shihezi, a city in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, came to Beijing to study at his "dream school" in 2011. Last year, he was one of the first 26 students to be awarded a bachelor's degree in Islamic studies by the institute, which had only awarded certificates of graduation before then.

A member of the Hui ethnic group, he says he loves to speak in a loud voice, which he believes is characteristic of men from China's northwestern regions, and that helps when he's leading prayers.

His father and grandfather are both imams in Xinjiang, and he learned about Islam from older religious leaders in the local mosques. Although religious leaders have traditionally been trained that way, Ma said younger imams are concerned that the system can promote a narrow perception of religion.

"It has flaws. For example, the students learn from only one imam and are easily influenced by his views, so they think they are the only correct ones to hold," he says, dressed in a white robe and matching taqiyah, the prayer skullcap worn by many Muslim men. "My family always wanted me to go to the institute to master the knowledge they never had the opportunity to learn and to develop my own perspective during the process."

Despite his short time at the mosque, Ma has already developed his own style of leading the congregation: "I want people to feel I am easy to talk with, or just have a laugh with. I don't want or need to appear serious all the time just to show my authority."

His appointment was initially greeted with skepticism by worshippers at the mosque, which opened in 2013. They initially felt Ma's youth would prevent him from fulfilling his responsibilities, but they have gradually been won over by his cheerful nature and deep religious knowledge.

Liu Qingli, who owns a restaurant beside the mosque, says he enjoys Ma's addresses during jumah, the Friday prayer meeting that's the most important gathering of the week. About 100 worshippers, including Muslims from overseas, usually attend the session, and some members of the congregation visit Doudian just to participate in Ma's services.

"He's young, but he is very capable of leading the mosque," says a 46-year-old Hui man who gave his name only as Liu. "It's great to see new blood in the mosques around China. They (the young imams) are like a breath of fresh air.

"Ma gets on well with the older believers because he respects them, and young people like to talk to him because of his down-to-earth attitude."

Ma says: "I'm much younger than most of the followers who come to the mosque. I always say that I'm their child, because they can teach me so many lessons, but in our religious lives I am their leader."

He says mosques are built to promote religion, respect and kindness. "An imam who encourages violent behavior is not an imam anymore, but simply a wolf in sheep's clothing. Those who recite the prayers five times a day and then commit violent acts will cause great damage because people will believe these atrocities are being carried out by devout Muslims. But are these people really devout Muslims?

"People must ensure they make the right decisions, especially if someone praises Allah and then encourages people to pick up a weapon and kill," he says, adding that he often discusses issues such as this with the faithful and encourages them to learn more.

"In addition to learning about Islam, my studies at the institute gave me a broader view of Muslim life in China and the world outside; even my father is learning from me now," he adds, saying that he teaches his father how to pronounce Arabic words correctly when the older man recites the Quran in his heavy Xinjiang accent.

Founded in 1955, the China Islamic Institute is in Niu Street, the spiritual home of about 10,000 Muslims in Beijing.

"About 70 percent of our lessons are about religion, while 30 percent focus on other topics such as Chinese literature and history," says Cong Enlin, vice-president of the institute, which has seen about 20 percent of its graduates become imams.

"I believe Islamic institutes will gradually become the mainstream of China's Islamic education, which is traditionally conducted in mosques," says the 51-year-old Hui man, also a graduate of the institute. "The knowledge acquired by many older imams is no longer enough to answer many new questions, especially those posed by younger people."

To meet the rising demand for graduates, the institute plans to double enrollment to 50 in September. At the moment, most of the students are Hui, but the college will open a class specifically for students from Xinjiang. A new campus has already been built, Cong says. In addition to awarding bachelor's degrees, the center plans to offer postgraduate and doctoral courses, too.

"The young students are the future leaders of China's Muslims, so it's crucial to make sure they don't go astray," he adds.

Recruitment is also set to rise in places such as Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang and home to the Xinjiang Islamic Institute, one of the 10 such institutes in China and the only one where classes are taught in the Uygur language.

Abudulrekep Tumniyaz, the director, says the start of the academic year in September will see student numbers rise to 120 from the current 80.

Back in Beijing, the prayer hall at the China Islamic Institute also serves as a classroom, where the students learn essential skills for imams, such as interpreting the Quran and leading prayer gatherings.

During jumah on April 8, Xie Shunchao addressed the meeting as part of a practical lesson for final year students. "We have a responsibility to keep the traditions while adapting to social developments," says the 24-year-old, clad in a white ceremonial robe that failed to hide his Converse canvas shoes.

He says life at the institute is never boring, and even though they are studying religion, the students are lively. Like other students, they enjoy playing computer games, watching NBA games and shopping online. The only difference is that there are no women at the institute, he says with a laugh.

Like many students, Xu Fuguang studied at a mosque in his hometown for a year before taking the entrance exam for the institute in 2012. About one in five candidates earn a place at the institute.

The 24-year-old from Hebei province often visits other universities to attend lectures on Middle Eastern history and Islamic culture around the world, which is something he would have missed if he had continued studying at his local mosque.

"My friends now often use social media apps to seek my help if they have problems understanding the Quran," says Xu, who plans to continue his studies overseas after graduation, before returning to China and training as an imam.

He says people sometimes ask for his views on religious extremism, which the authorities say has been behind a series of deadly attacks in China and elsewhere in recent years. "If one day I become an imam, I will tell my followers that violence is always wrong, no matter what you believe. When Muslims start to kill, they are not Muslims anymore, just devils."

Xu adds that he wants to help his co-religionists gain more confidence, "which is badly needed".

Unlike Ma, some graduates may be appointed to mosques that already have older imams, meaning they have to learn how to handle delicate relationships.

"Young and old imams at the same mosque can learn from one another and together to better lead," says Cui Wei, 24, from Gansu province. "Just like any great team, it takes time and patience for them to adjust to each other's values and perspectives."

Walking along the carpet that runs down the middle of the prayer hall at Doudian Mosque, Ma says it is the path he takes to lead the jumah.

"It always reminds me to lead China's Muslims on the right path," he says. "It is a great responsibility."

cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 05/13/2016 page1)