Islam in China. Religionand Authority
Geography, history and culture of ethnic minorities determines their current state to much greater extent than it may seem to members of the modern, constantly changing, world, and so these changes often prove to be nothing more than illusion, on the other side of which lies the time-honoured truth of the historical heritage, which sometimes is called ‘the voice of blood’. Although 13 ages have passed since Islam came to China, it has never been able to achieve absolutely solid position in the state. Many causes of geographic, ethnographic, linguistic and religious nature underlie the isolation of Islam and its complicated relations with the Chinese authority. The purpose of this article is analysis of the relations between Islam and the Chinese state in historical context. There is an attempt to identify some geographical, historical and cultural factors that determined the nature of these relations, to view their current state and outline some prospects.