Chinese official warns against creeping Islamization
BEIJING - Chinese Muslims need to guard against creeping Islamization, including mosques that copy foreign styles, and strive to practice their faith in a more Chinese way, a senior Chinese Islamic official said on Saturday.
Speaking to the largely ceremonial advisory body to China's parliament, Yang Faming, head of the government-linked China Islamic Association, said Islam had a long and glorious history in the country.
But Yang warned of problems he said had become apparent in recent years which could not be overlooked, according to a copy of his speech carried by the official Xinhua news agency.
"For example, some mosques' construction style blindly imitates foreign models. In some areas the concept of halal has become common, and religion interferes in secular life," he said.
"Some people set great store on religious rules and much less on national law, only knowing what it is to be a believer and not what it is to be a citizen," Yang added. "We must certainly remain on high alert."
