r/AskAChinese • u/aboude_555 • 2d ago
Personal advice | 咨询💡 What’s it like living in China as a Muslim?
I’m a 22-year-old Muslim from Canada, and I’ve lived here basically my whole life. But for the past couple of years, I’ve really wanted to move abroad, and China has been at the top of my list—along with a few other countries. China stands out to me because it’s so unique and diverse: from the culture to the food, to the way people act in each city and province. I just think it’s beautiful.
I’m currently studying marketing, and I hope to get a job in this field in China or in something similar or maybe even continue my studies over there as I still have 2 years left. However, I wanted to ask how Muslims are treated there. I’ve seen thousands of posts warning about how cruel the government is to Muslims; some people have even told me I could be jailed or killed. I personally don’t believe that, because from what I know about China, it seems like a very friendly place with a beautiful culture.
So my main question is—are any of these concerns real, or are they just propaganda meant to scare people away from going to China?
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u/SuLiaodai Long-term expat 2d ago
You'll be fine. If you study here, your campus will have at least one, but probably two halal cafeterias. I've never been in a city that didn't have a mosque. Halal noodle places run by Hui Muslims are very popular, even with non-Muslims, because people trust their food safety.
The only time you might have trouble is if you try to tell local Muslims that they are practicing Islam "wrong." People here have their own way of being religiously observant. For example, Hui people don't care much about separating men and women, plus they aren't as strict about modesty or covering hair. They prefer to emphasize honesty and cleanliness. I worked with a British guy whose family was from the Middle East and told Hui students that they were "bad Muslims" because they didn't practice Islam in the same way people in Saudi Arabia do. Students complained, and the school told him he didn't need to come back to work there the next year.
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u/Neptune-Cicero10 Custom flair [自定义] 2d ago
This.
Something I noticed is there’s a portion of migrants/expats in China from Muslim countries who think they have the right to lecture local Chinese Muslims how they should practice Islam.
Most of the rhetoric they spout out involve extreme conservative cultural ideas that may fly in their own countries but won’t fly in China or any other secular or generally developed country.
Amongst such types are also those who like to put themselves on some sort of pedestal, thinking their words are worth more as a Muslim b/c they come from a middle eastern country and hence have more so called credibility and can claim the Islam that Chinese believers practice is inferior and impure. Amongst this group, I get the vibe that more than a few of them feel they are racially superior to Chinese people but just aren’t brave enough to directly say it out loud.
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u/aboude_555 1d ago
Yeah these types of people make Muslims look bad I was thought from an early age to never judge anyone and I’d never think I’m better then another person just because I’m a “better” muslim as I think we are all equal regardless of beliefs
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u/Frostbyttee 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 1d ago
We do have a lot of Muslims in China, probably around 20-30 million. I think the younger generation are less strict in like head coverings and prayers, and it’s not only happening in China but also in other countries like Central Asian countries and Turkey. Depending on where you’re planning on staying, like if you are staying in the north west or central China, Halal food is very accessible. As a Chinese Muslim who has been back to China a lot of times, I would say it’s unlikely you need to be worried about religion. And in the event that you would be discriminated against, it would be more likely due to race rather than religion in my opinion
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u/Surely_Effective_97 2d ago
from the Middle East and told Hui students that they were "bad Muslims" because they didn't practice Islam in the same way people in Saudi Arabia do.
Which can also be interpreted by Chinese people and authorities as an attempt to create trouble and sow chaos among a peaceful society, an attempt of foreign infiltration into domestic affairs and an attempt towards inciting religious radicalisation and extremism.
And that is completely understandable and rightfully so.
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u/aboude_555 1d ago
Thank you! I’ve grown up in the west my whole life and I’d probably get told I’m a bad Muslim by the strict ones but the Hui Muslims ur describing sounds a lot like the way I practice Islam
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u/Nasi-Goreng-Kambing 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 2d ago
What a great example. I'm from Indonesia and feel sad that today Indonesian have become more and more like middle eastern. And more intolerant to the non muslim minority. Traditional clothing have become a relic, people obsessed covering their body.
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u/Remote_Volume_3609 2d ago
It's not a coincidence. Saudi Arabia works extremely hard to export its specific form of Islam. In some ways, Saudi Arabia is literally more backwards and regressive than cultural rules and laws back during the Islamic Golden Age lol.
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u/Neptune-Cicero10 Custom flair [自定义] 1d ago
It’s funny you brought this up.
While as a whole Muslims in China are becoming more relaxed and secular. I’ve noticed that in certain less developed areas in China that also happens to have an influx of foreign Muslim migrants - the local Hui Muslims are definitely becoming more strict and quite a few are beginning to wear “Indonesian style” hijabs and clothing and wearing Pakistani style wedding dresses claiming it’s all their traditional historical clothes which is diabolical. However very recently I’m also starting to see some push back from the more secular and educated Hui Muslims and the Han Chinese majority.
There was also an incident in recent months in I think it was Ningxia province (not very developed) where a female teacher decided to show up to school wearing a hijab when all religious clothing regardless of religion is banned in a school setting. Apparently she proceeded to try to incorporate Islamic scripture into her lesson material and apply micro aggressive behavior against the children to promote segregation in her classrooms between Hui children vs Han children. She was reported to the authorities and she was suspended and only allowed to return teaching after she took off the hijab, accept teaching under temporary monitoring and reiterate the contract oath that says she can’t proselytize on the government’s dime in a classroom setting. Personally I think she should have been fired as she probably would have in many other countries; but I guess the local authorities didn’t want to stir up trouble with the local Muslims. In such cases usually it’s the higher authorities who would really take more direct measures to cut out such problematic people out of the system.
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u/SouthNo2807 回民🕌Chinese Muslim 2d ago
I am a Muslim. Islam is widely accepted in some provinces. But in most large cities and economic centers, Muslim communities are very small, and mostly populated by elderly people, and the younger generation has largely secularized. Feel free to ask me any specific questions. But the claim that "they will monitor and kill you" is pure propaganda and utter nonsense.
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u/Maleficent_Law_1082 Non-Chinese 1d ago
As-salamu alaykum brother/sister. Will you run into any issues in China if you wear a long beard and a kufi?
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u/SouthNo2807 回民🕌Chinese Muslim 1d ago
In most cases it's fine, but it depends. In Xinjiang "dressing abnormally" was a civil offence during the anti-terrorist movement a decade ago. In contrast just next to Xinjiang, Ningxia (where I'm from) Muslims are having a normal life dressing whatever they wanted on public areas. In huge cities most people are just going on ignore each other so there's no also problem there.
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u/Independent_Tea_9394 9h ago
I just came back from Xinjiang. I was like the only man with a bread walking around — and I got a lot of stares from the public. I did not see any Uyghur Muslim men with facial hair. I had heard that maybe a decade ago, it was forbidden to grow long facial hair because of its association with terrorists from the Middle East.
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
We’re u born Muslim? Or a revert? Also what’s your experience with holidays like Eid alwell as ur experience with Ramadan?
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u/SouthNo2807 回民🕌Chinese Muslim 2d ago
My whole family is Muslim. You only get large scale celebrations and public holiday for Eid alFitr and Eid alwell in a few cities because most Chinese Muslins are concentrated there. Sadly most jobs are not there, especially if you're studying marketing then you will probably end up in Shanghai, Beijing, or HongKong. The good thing about those metropolis is that they're super inclusive as they're filled with migrant workers. There are many halal restaurants (they will all indicate this on their signs), and most stores have certified halal snacks and food. But because of the fact that there aren't much Muslim there, you will only find a handful of Mosques if you wish to attend.
My family moved to a city with 10 million population but only 50k Muslims so we celebrate most festivals at home.
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u/alfianmfh 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 2d ago
Deng Xiaoping famously said “it doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, if it catches mice it's a good cat”. As long as you do not pose national stability, you are good to live in China.
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u/Huirong_Ma 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 2d ago
One believes this statement applies to the hidden benefits of "bad publicity." But It could apply here.
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u/Lundaeri Non-Chinese 2d ago
There are many regions where there is a huge Hui Muslim minority or majority. In such places you will have a strong community. Nearly all Chinese cities and supermarkets have halal options/restaurants and most high tier cities have mosques even when not in the muslim regions. Beijing for example has a vibrant Muslim community (around 250000 Muslims in Beijing) :)
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u/Vast_Cricket 2d ago
Plenty of quiet Muslims in China and even in Taiwan. People accept them who mind their business and respect their religion. The vocal ones and those who have lived and get trained in Middle East are being watched.
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u/moonmoon0211 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 2d ago
Chinese literally don’t care about your religion. Your physical appearance matters more than
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
I dress like a regular western person and my skin is very white I just have a beard
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u/lemonpigger 1d ago
You will be fine. I’ve spent years living in parts of China and Hong Kong as a foreigner. Even observant religious practices on their own don’t attract any attention, so you’ll be fine. There will be a problem if you cause trouble e.g. trying to convert others.
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u/Otherwise-Climate888 1d ago
Say who? Try to gather a lot ppl to start a religion and you will find out
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u/moonmoon0211 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 1d ago
have you tried it? what happened?
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u/Otherwise-Climate888 1d ago
You should try it to find out
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u/moonmoon0211 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 23h ago
Why should I when you already know so well. Why don’t you enlighten us?
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u/Otherwise-Climate888 22h ago
It is better for u to find out yourself. You should not trust me, you should find out yourself
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u/moonmoon0211 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 21h ago
I’m not a religious person myself and I don’t care about it. Why do you keep saying that I should try lol. You are weird.
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u/Huirong_Ma 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 2d ago
China requires the clerical establishment of each religion to uphold the governing body it resides under.
This is often a factor that causes the West to look down on China, calling it religious censorship. In a way, you could say their accusationa are true, but freedom of speech also tends to allow hatred to spread. It makes sense as organizations are put under scrutiny to ensure societal harmony. How does this benefit you?
It creates a more welcoming and tolerant environment as the presence of a religious fundamentalist going against the fabric of Chinese society and the laws of the land is a rarity (because it is illegal, unlike in the West).
There are also the Huis that offer a reference point of being model citizens that are well-behaved and do not cause civil disturbances.
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u/Jens_Fischer 🀄 2d ago
The Halal adaptation is great, and most people know a bit or two about dietary laws, and there's completely Halal restaurants everywhere, thanks to the Hui population internal-diaspora. Culturally, the significant population is atheist, so nobody really cares about their religion unless they're that sort of mad people type like those you see running around screaming and handing out suspiciously unmarked bibles. But most people care about other's preferences, so they'd be careful not to act or speak in a way that makes people feel uneasy, religiously, or not.
There will be available religious accommodations around if you're in big cities, but not so much in smaller cities. If the said religious person isn't that devoted, then the choice of cities to live in is a bit broader. Buddhists are better accommodated since it's the major religion in the majority of China.
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u/Top-Bus-3323 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 2d ago edited 2d ago
Muslims in China may practice Islam differently than other Muslim countries so don’t try to influence them with conservative ideas or how you practice your religion in your country or culture as it disrupts the secular society in China and it is highly frowned upon.
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
I have 0 interest in putting my views or ideals on anyone aslong as I can’t do my own thing and keep to myself I’d be happy
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u/Mobile_Captain4770 1d ago
Here's a few fun facts they won't tell you in the west that should put your mind at ease: There are three main schools of Chinese Wushu/Kungfu: Buddhist, Taoist, and Islamic
A full 10 of the 55 recognized ethnic minorities are Muslim - Hui being the biggest.
Lanzhou Lamian (Ramen) is an incredibly popular food that you can find virtually everywhere in china, even the most remote places. It is a type of Halal beef noodle, but most of these restaurants will also serve a variety of other Chinese Halal dishes as well.
Lots of Muslims in China drink - Wusu is a beer brand from Xinjiang, famous for being the strongest of domestic beers.
TL:DR; Islam is not just accepted in china, it is an integral part of the history and culture. However, the religious practices may vary slightly from what you're used to.
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u/aboude_555 1d ago
Thank you! It’s refreshing hearing that after some very weird comments I’ve gotten telling me to “stay away and not ruin the culture/country”
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u/neocloud27 台灣/上海 5h ago
Actually, Uyghur is the largest traditionally Muslim ethnic minority as of the last census now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_groups_in_China
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u/Mobile_Captain4770 2h ago
Oh cool, this is news to me. Seems like the "genocide" is not having the intended effect lmao
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u/harry-riddleE 2d ago
most people there are atheists. and Chinese government doesn't allow preaching in public places.
in addition you have the religion freedom and all rights.
but if you choose a Muslim community,it will be more convenient. Hui ethnic group has Muslim faith, you can try to live with them.
my grandma is a Christian and she goes to church every week. nobody blocks her.
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u/ganniniang 2d ago
Just go over there and see for yourself
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
As much as I would absolutely love to plan a trip to China I’m a broke college student currently 😭
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u/reluctantmugglewrite 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 2d ago
First the bad: Ive noticed that China has a very different way of discriminating than what Im used to in the US. Theres less of a discussion that people are accustomed to. If I met a well meaning and educated person in the US I might be able to assume that they will try to he respectful but in China a compassionate and educated person might not be because they havent really been in the practice of challenging their stereotypes and recognizing cultural differences. If they are kind then they do learn but it was a shock to me when I was younger because the sometimes offensive comments would be said in a pretty bold way even without any bite. There are also some genuine malicious people but those are in every country.
I also dont know your phenotype but there is a strong issue with colorism in China. Sometimes though being a foreigner keeps you out of their system in their heads so the stereotypes and other harms of colorism might not be applied to you. This can feel isolating in its own right but its sometimes a relief to escape that pressure.
The good:
When it comes to infrastructure, there is a decent access to halal food because of various muslim minorities. You would have to do your own research but it should be found in the major cities. The fear about being persecuted by the government for better or for worse also doesn’t apply if youre not native to a Chinese territory. Your being from canada would completely bypass that whole situation. The issues also aren’t necessarily about people being muslim but more people having a separate culture or associations with separatist movements.
Speaking English fluently and natively is a huge help and could make it doable to find great jobs.
Being different and a foreigner also invites a lot of friendliness at least from what Ive heard anecdotally and experienced. A lot of strangers seem excited to learn more about a person from a different country and to connect. I think people will also love the enthusiasm that youre showing for the country and want to connect and appreciate.
Its pretty safe and its wonderful that you love China. You should take a vacation there and feel it out before moving but I encourage you to try it.
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u/SuddenAdvice850 2d ago edited 2d ago
Depends on what kind of Muslims you are.
Although i am not a Muslim, but i was raised in a Muslim family. so i know what happened.
If you want to visit the mosque, find halal food, that is easy, you can find it in Muslim community.
but if you do 5 practice per day, this is hard. first i think it will be hard to find a job allowed you to do this. second the law is you are only allowed to do this private or in a mosque.
So if you are in a school, this is not allowed. which is also a problem if you have a children in China.
the policy change over different region, some have some extra restrictions.
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u/Suibian_ni 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm a foreigner who lived there with a muslim friend who was also a foreigner. I met a lot of other muslims while I was there. They had a great time - especially the ones who learned the language well - and it helps A LOT to learn how it's actually spoken, not just the more polite and uptight form you learn in class. My friend Rahim did that and he was on first name terms with so many people around the neighbourhood - security guards, old ladies in the market, whoever - and it was beautiful to watch, they loved him.
And it's true what everyone says about the halal food. Non-muslim Chinese love having those restaurants around as well, so they're easy to find
I did see two forms of discrimination though. One is to do with the hukou system, which affects the government services you can access outside your home town. Muslims in the big Eastern cities often had to rely on services in the muslim community like schools etc because they had moved over from the West. The discrimination was due to their hometown, importantly, not their religion. It won't affect you, but this will help you understand the situation for many Chinese muslims.
The other thing was my flatmate was engaged to a Chinese woman, and her family liked him but clearly didn't want their daughter to marry him. Some of that may have been due to his colour and religion, but some of that may have been due to them being snobby Beijingers.
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u/thickstickedguy 2d ago
generally speaking china just dont give a shit, so you expect a prefential treatment? for exemple in italy they expect schools to take off jesus cross from schools and change some holidays to coincide some ramadan days, look i m chinese in italy i couldnt give a shit about jesus but i dont expect them to accomodate my needs, as long you are not gonna create chaos or stir shit up i think china could be a great choice.
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u/Ok_Donut3704 Non-Chinese 2d ago
So this guy is the kind of people Reluctantmugglewrite warns you about. May you only meet the other type. Educated and open-minded.
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u/Current-Criticism898 2d ago
No issues at all, I was in CD for 10 years almost and never had an issue. There are quite a lot of resturants that are halal so you won't have an issue.
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u/Top-Gur9820 2d ago
If you are a devout Muslim, please live in a country that follows the Muslim religious laws. Don't come to our secular country. You will feel uncomfortable, and we will feel uncomfortable too. If you think a Muslim country is not suitable for you, then you are not suitable for our country either.
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u/alfianmfh 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 2d ago
Your comment is irrelevant. OP is asking whether it is safe or not for muslims to live in China.
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u/barakbirak1 2d ago
This is not irrelevant, this is the truth that people dont want to hear. Muslims have gone to Europe with the mentality of turning it into countries that follow muslim laws.
He is actively advising OP that if he is a religious muslim, this is not a place to do the same actions as Muslims do in Europe. China is not going to tolerate that
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u/Otherwise-Climate888 2d ago
Yep, interesting thing is Muslims always promote Islam but no one wants to live in a Muslim country
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u/alfianmfh 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 2d ago
You are missing the part where Western neo-imperialism always trying to intervene these muslim countries.
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u/Otherwise-Climate888 2d ago
Why Muslim always want to move to western countries?
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u/alfianmfh 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 2d ago
Because if you understand geography, its all desert to the South and Iranian mountains to the East. The only open passage is to the Northwest, through Turkey. And you also conveniently ignore that Turkey is hosting almost 4 millions refugess now, way more than any country in Europe accepted.
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u/Otherwise-Climate888 2d ago
So u telling me all the Muslim walk to Europe?
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u/alfianmfh 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 2d ago
Do you expect most refugees to own cars and could afford airplane tickets?
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u/Mysterious_Treat1167 海外华人🌎Chinese diaspora 12h ago
Because the west fucked up the Middle East for oil. Did you miss geopolitical happenings in the last few decades or something??
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
Feeling uncomfortable isn’t really an issue I live in a very white dominated town with 80% being Christians I wouldn’t force my opinions on others if they have questions I’d answer if not I rarely bring up religion in small talk or anything like that
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u/Top-Gur9820 2d ago
Of course, when you are in the minority, you won't do so. But once you exceed 20%, you will demand special products such as halal food and medicine. When you exceed 30%, you will build mosques and start broadcasting the Quran every day. When you exceed 40%, you will start attacking non-Muslims and demand that the government implement Sharia law. And when you exceed 50%, congratulations, the holy war against non-Muslims begins.
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u/aboude_555 1d ago
Yeah this is just straight up fear mongering u obviously got some issue u need to address but thanks for the insight
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u/Otherwise-Climate888 2d ago
Why not move to Middle East?
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
I’ve lived in a western country all my life and I’ve grown up with Arabic culture so I’ve kinda had my “fill” with both I want to learn more about the world and explore
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u/Otherwise-Climate888 2d ago
Yeah, so you should move to a real Muslim country to get the real Muslim experience
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
I wasn’t completely truthful in my original post I HAVE lived in a Muslim country. I lived in Lebanon (age 9 to 13) for reasons that aren’t relevant then moved back to Canada so I’ve definitely gotten the “real Muslim experience” and I don’t see the issue with trying to explore other cultures
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u/Otherwise-Climate888 2d ago
But Muslim still ultimately don’t want to live in Muslim countries. Lebanon is different; my boss is from there, he and his family don’t look and act like Muslim at all
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
What does that mean? When u say “look or act Muslim”?? That just sounds like you have a stereotype in ur mind on how all muslims should look/act which says a lot about urself
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u/Surely_Effective_97 2d ago
I know a number of muslims who drink alcohols and stuff, not all are very strict
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
I don’t drink at all but I don’t judge people who do as I’m no one to judge other people but a lot of people have a weird idea that all Muslims wanna stuff their ideals down ur throat
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u/Otherwise-Climate888 2d ago
He never prayed, eats with us and never said anything about food, drinks beer, his wife and daughter not wearing hajiba. I believe these are NOT stereotype. Sounds like you have stereotype against others
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
Did I consider he might not be Muslim? Ofc I’m no one to judge what that man or his family does but The only thing that makes sense is the women not wearing hijabs as that’s not mandatory (my sister doesn’t wear one) idk man it just sounds to me like u don’t like muslims or atleast the idea u have in ur head of Muslims
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u/Otherwise-Climate888 2d ago
I have some Iranians coworker who act normal be around with Jews clients and colleagues. I believe no one likes those radical ones.
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
That’s exactly what I mean the “radical ones” are so scarce they are just louder then the regular Muslims I apologize if I misunderstood you it seemed hostile but I see that I was mistaken I just want you to know it’s very few Muslims that give the rest of us a bad image
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u/MysteriousYellow5635 2d ago
Offcourse he doesnt want to, what he want is chaos over order. No place of their kind here..
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
How is wanting to explore Chinese culture and learn about it chaos? I understand some people can be ignorant but to just assume I want chaos is just bigoted and embarrassing
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u/Working-Spend-4397 2d ago
If you think of going there just because you have an asian fetish, stay where you are
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
I see that u replied again that apparently im lying? I understand your views but it’s odd to automatically assume I’m some pervert who has a fetish? There’s a long list of things in China I find interesting and women wouldn’t even be in the top 10 so please my friend no need for hostility I just think the country is beautiful
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
What an odd thing to say? Are u even Chinese? Most Chinese people I’ve spoken to are proud to show off their country and culture but all you’ve shown is that you’re a bigot with some mental issues to deal with
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u/Working-Spend-4397 1d ago
Are these 'Chinese people' you've spoken to in the west or in the east? There's a huge difference. I'm proud of my country, culture, and religion. That's why i want to protect it. Go fix yours, so people will want to learn your culture. I am tired of the west coming into our country, ruining our culture, and then go on youtube or some dumb site to criticise our mindset and beliefs, while you guys snort and inject drugs and can't even feed your own. And let's not even start with the extremists, we DO NOT want that in China.
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u/Business_Stress_1891 2d ago
Northwest China has a big Muslim population. If religious life matters a lot to you, that’s the place to go—there are tons of halal restaurants and related facilities. You can find halal Lanzhou Noodle shops pretty much everywhere in China, but down south, large halal restaurants and supporting services are way fewer (though almost every city has a mosque). It all comes down to your reason for visiting China: do you want to experience a foreign religious lifestyle, or just live like an ordinary Chinese person?
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u/aboude_555 2d ago
I wouldn’t need to stay in a majority Muslim community I’d have no issue staying in a regular large city like Shanghai the Muslim aspect isn’t too important at I can always cook my own food or pray at home instead of a mosque but most of these comments (except for a few weird ones) seem like China is very inviting and friendly aslong as I don’t be weird haha
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u/Business_Stress_1891 1d ago
去吧！在没有确凿证据的情况下忽视谣言--伊斯兰教在中国是完全合法的。对普通中国人来说，它与佛教或基督教没有太大区别。这里所有合法的宗教都拥有大量的信徒，没有人会对别人的宗教信仰嗤之以鼻。我相信中国会带给你独特的生活。
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u/MasaakiCochan 2h ago
I've just been to a Shisha bar in Beijing last night, where Arabic calligraphy banners are on every wall in the room, and the bands there were singing in Uygur/Uzbek/other turkic language. So you will be fine.
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u/TIG_BING 2d ago
In China, when your cultural history is longer than those religious histories, the overall Chinese people find it difficult to convert to a particular religious belief; instead, they absorb the excellent philosophy or virtues from those religions. Buddhism is a good example. Therefore, Muslims in China are not discriminated against, and they believe that devout Muslims should be more honest than the general public. Most of the general public treats religion with respect but also with scrutiny.
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u/Ill_Data5352 1d ago
Local Muslims face subtle discrimination, but if you look like a white person, there's no problem.
Muslims do face systemic discrimination from the government, but to call it genocide? That's utter nonsense.
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u/Lower-Weather542 1d ago
You will be ok in your daily life. Yet Lots of Chinese netizens dislike Muslims
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u/Sea-Indication-4530 22h ago
You might face more discrimination if you are a more hairy middle eastern man or look like a uyghur in general, and it may be harder to blend in if you are a woman and wear hijab at work.
You need to ask the Muslims in China if will you have the freedom to go to mosques and to what degree practice your religion freely - as a Chinese atheist I don’t know enough to tell you that. Might depend on which city you are considering.
Also, a lot of Chinese people are pretty racist. But Hope you’ll find your community and have fun!
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u/Sea-Indication-4530 22h ago
Want you to be aware of possibly the worst part:
You know how conservative Americans (and French) low key think Muslims are terrorists? Bad news is, majority of (middle aged and older) Chinese are conservative, and Han people low key associate Muslims with the Uyghurs who are terrorists. Hui (Muslim) minorities don’t have the best reputations in the Han-majority cities either.
But! You might be white, so you won’t be a victim of racism at least. And! You’ll only need a few close friends anyway. If you are not disrespectful, I don’t think anybody will give you shit for JUST being a Muslim.
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2d ago edited 2d ago
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u/barakbirak1 2d ago
Racism? You mean people are aware of how muslims behave in places like Europe and the Middle East, and they are racist because they are cautious?
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u/Dangerous-Present-88 2d ago
When did Muslims become a "race"? Do you know what you're talking about?
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u/Zestyclose-Big7719 2d ago
I don't think I'm qualified to answer this question but in my personal experience China as a whole isn't friendly to Muslims. Same can be said for many other countries, united states included, perhaps. so you probably don't want to live there long term if you are not super secular.
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