'It's painful to see Islam used as a weapon'

Ma Jiacheng, the 26-year-old imamat the DoudianMosque in Beijing, hopes the religious centerwill become a platformfor the correction of misunderstandings aboutMuslims. To further that aim, he plans to open the doors to non-Muslims so they can observe religious ceremonies and learnmore about Islam.

The new mosque,which took three years to build, was completed in 2013. It is biggest mosque in North China and is situated in the Fangshan district of Beijing near its predecessor, a place of worship formore than 300 years.

Ma aims to make Doudian an international Islamic center, catering to the rising number of expat Muslims who have moved to the Chinese capital and need a place to pray.