Ahlal-Bayt (A.S) seminary in Hainan Province is the first Shia seminary to teach Islamic sciences in China.
China is the most populous country in the world, covering a large area of Central and East Asia, with a population of around 1.4 billion. Islam was first brought to China in 651 and then spread by thousands of Arabs and Iranians in this country. Muslims now make up one percent of China’s population that most of them are Sunni and Hanafi, but a number of Shia Muslims also live in the country. Following is a short interview with Hujattal-Islam Isa Chini, the Director of the Ahlal-Bayt (A.S) Seminary in China’s Hainan Province, about the situation of Shia Muslims in the country.
Would you please introduce yourself.
I am Sheikh Isa Chini from China; I participated in Islamic science training courses in Razaviyeh seminary in Mashhad 20 years ago and now I am the director of the seminary of Ahlal-Bayt (AS) in Hainan province, a province that includes several islands in southern China.
Is there any Shia seminary in China?
I started my relations with the seminary of Qom 20 years ago after finishing my studies in the field of religious sciences. These connections led to the establishment of the Ahlal-Bayt (AS) seminary in Hainan Province as the first Shia seminary to teach Islamic sciences in China. Many students are studying in this seminary that came to this school from different parts of China. Chinese students in the Ahlal-Bayt (AS) seminary learn the basic lessons for three to four years and, if necessary, go to the seminary to learn more religious sciences.
What activities do you have in China?
We have religious programs and lectures in China, but in addition to these programs, we also do our mission through social networks and email. So far, we have translated dozens of Shia religious books into Chinese, such as Nahjal-Balagha and the Treatise on rights of Imam Sajjad (A.S).
Where do Chinese Shia Muslims live in this country?
A 300-year-old Shia population lives in northwest China’s Xinjiang province. But we do not have a dense Shia population in other parts of China. Of course, groups of Shia Muslims live scattered in different parts of the country.
Source: en.shafaqna.com
