UC San Diego UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Individual Paths to the Global Ummah : : Islamic Revival and Ethnic Identity in Northwest China Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6g28j0dx Author Stewart, Alexander Blair Publication Date 2014 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Individual Paths to the Global Ummah: Islamic Revival and Ethnic Identity in Northwest China A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology by Alexander Blair Stewart Committee in Charge: Professor David K. Jordan, Chair Professor Suzanne Brenner Professor Richard Madsen Professor Steven M. Parish Professor Babak Rahimi 2014 Copyright Alexander Blair Stewart, 2014 All Rights Reserved. The Dissertation of Alexander Blair Stewart is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Chair University of California, San Diego 2014 iii DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my beloved wife and son, who patiently endured one year of my absence while I conducted research and another year of virtual absence while I wrote this dissertation. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS SIGNATURE PAGE...........................................................................................................iii DEDICATION....................................................................................................................iv TABLE OF CONTENTS.....................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ix VITA ....................................................................................................................................x ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION ............................................................................xi Chapter 1 - Xining’s Islamic Landscape ..............................................................................1 The Ethnographic Context: ............................................................................................8 Seeking Universality Between Han Majority and Ethnic Minority ...............................8 A Methodological Note: On Crossing Boundaries ......................................................12 History of the Hui Label ..............................................................................................17 Hui as an Ethnic Category ...........................................................................................19 Scholarship on the Hui .................................................................................................26 The Hui within the Chinese State................................................................................. 29 Studies of Islamic Revival in China............................................................................. 33 Religious Revival and Hui Identity .............................................................................39 Subjective Transformation/Public Manifestation: Islamic Revival in the Chinese Nation........................................................................................................................... 42 Outline of the Dissertation ...........................................................................................47 Chapter 2 - Old Teaching, New Teaching: A Historical Overview of Islam in China .......49 Origins of Chinese Islam.............................................................................................. 50 Structure of Traditional Chinese Muslim Communities ..............................................52 Overview of Sufi Sects in China ..................................................................................54 A Brief History of Sufism in Early Modern China ......................................................58 The Development of Yihewani ....................................................................................61 Muslims in the People’s Republic................................................................................ 66 Selective Memory Among Modern Chinese Muslims: “It is Better Now” ..................76 Characteristics of Salafiyya.......................................................................................... 79 History of Salafiyya in China....................................................................................... 86 Dueling Scripturalists: Conflict Between Yihewani and Salafiyya ..............................92 Tablighi Jama’at: Habitus of the Sahaba ......................................................................96 Chapter 3 - Huizu 回族 Learning to be Muslim 穆斯林: ................................................103 Reaffirming and Redefining Modern Islamic Identity ....................................................103 Mr. Ma: an ethnic Muslim.......................................................................................... 106 Reaffirmed Muslims ..................................................................................................113 Habibi and the College Student Study Class .......................................................114 Habibi’s Rediscovery of Islam .............................................................................116 Habibi and Christianity........................................................................................ 119 Ayoob: The English Teacher ................................................................................124 Ayoob and Salafiyya ............................................................................................134 v The Lonely Road to Authenticity ..............................................................................138 Chapter 4 - Rectification of Names: Imams, Mosques, Sects, Boundaries .....................141 The Role of Ahong .....................................................................................................143 Minyuan Ahong: The Uncrossable Borders of Traditional Chinese Islam ................151 Jin Biao Ahong : Xining’s Foremost Yihewani Cleric ...............................................154 Ahmed Ahong: From Urban Strife to Village Life ....................................................160 Ma Ahong: New Shepherd of Xining’s Salafiyya...................................................... 170 Aisa Ahong: One Man’s Journey ...............................................................................177 From Yihewani to Tablighi Jama’at to Undercover Salafiyya ...................................177 The Role of a Salafi Lay Imam: A Consultation on Islamic Law ..............................189 Chapter 5 - Performing the Path of the Sahaba: Walking with the Tablighi Jamaat ........192 A Tale of Two Movements: Tablighi Jama’at Versus Salafiyya .................................198 Sectarian Considerations: What Tablighi Jama’at is Not ...........................................204 Methods of Jama’at.................................................................................................... 209 Tablighi Performances ...............................................................................................217 Individual Reform ......................................................................................................220 An Insider’s Critique: Ayoob and Tablighi Jama’at ...................................................223 Going Out and Looking In: Lessons from My Jama’at .............................................227 Local manifestations ..................................................................................................240 Tablighi in the Transnational Field of Power .............................................................243 Chapter 6 - Paths to Islam and Salafiyya: Harnessing the Transnational to Empower the Individual .....................................................................................................................249 Individual Transformation in Pursuit of the Universal ..............................................256 Salafi Da’wah: Mr. Ming............................................................................................ 258 Teacher Yang: A New Muslim Teaching Old Muslims ..............................................264 Li: an underemployed college graduate .....................................................................272 Yunus: A Salafi Tablighi Convert ..............................................................................280 Learning to Be Muslim: Two Han Islamic Students ..................................................283 Seeking Answers and Authenticity: Converts to Salafiyya ........................................288 Hasan: A Tibetan-Speaking Muslim Reforming Himself through Salafism ........289 Yusuf: from Sufism to Salafiyya ..........................................................................295