Islamic studies, practice alive in Xinjiang

By Zhu Linyong (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-18 09:58

URUMQI: Mamat Reyim showed a keen interest in the Koran at age 8.

Islamic studies, practice alive in Xinjiang

"Reading the Islamic scriptures is always an enjoyment for me," explained the Uygur from suburban Urumqi who is now 23 years old.

Four years ago, he fulfilled his dream of enrolling in the Xinjiang Academy of Islamic Scriptural Studies.

Scheduled to graduate this summer, the ambitious student is targeting even higher, applying for further Islamic scriptural studies at Azhar University in Egypt.

Asked whether he feels nervous about an audition at Egyptian embassy in Beijing on May 18, he replied: "Not at all. I am confident in my ability to win in the competition."

Shy as he is, Reyim is adept in the use of instant messaging to contact his friends in China and the Middle East. A diligent learner of English and Arabic, he is also good at sports and took second in a recent 1,000-m run at the academy.

With a deep love for the academy and its teachers, Reyim says he will return to teach after earning degrees in Egypt.

Reyim is among the 160 students studying at the academy, the largest of its kind in China, to cultivate qualified personnel who can offer religious services for 12 million Muslims in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang has about 29,000 full-time religious workers, and over 24,000 venues for public religious services, among which 23,900 are mosques. Urumqi has 461 public areas for religious services, among which 433 are Islamic, official statistics show.

"The establishment of educational institutions for religious personnel such as the Xinjiang Academy of Islamic Scriptural Studies is to better care for the spiritual needs of the local population," says Muhetaer Aishan, deputy chief of the Xinjiang Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission.

The academy, founded in 1987, provides a four-year program, short-term training and customized consultation for practicing imams, according to academy chief Wupuer Rexiti.

To improve the academic strength and teaching facilities in the academy, the government appropriates at least 4 million yuan ($588,235) a year to the academy, according to Rexiti.

"Young Muslim boys in Xinjiang aged between 18 and 25 can apply to attend the academy after finishing their high school education," says Rexiti, adding that a total of 16 courses are available, including Koran reciting and annotation, Islamic laws and culture, personal computer operation, English and Arabic as well as public speaking.

"As our students acquire both broad knowledge and solid skills for religious services, they have been sought-after talent by mosques across Xinjiang," claimed Texiti.