Sinicization of the Quran: Training Course for Islamic Clergy in Beijing

On October 13, Islamic clergy from Hunan Province attended a training course in Beijing aimed at promoting the “Sinicization” of Islam and the Quran, Bitter Winter revealed yesterday.

Organized by the Central United Front Work Department and the China Islamic Association, the course included thirty-eight participants from various cities in Hunan, home to over 100,000 Hui Muslims and a Uyghur minority.

Vice President Mu Kefa of the China Islamic Association welcomed the trainees, emphasizing the importance of aligning religious teachings with the principles of a socialist society as defined by General Secretary Xi Jinping. The curriculum focused on the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and included “interpretive skills” for adapting Quranic teachings to what is termed the “New Era.”

The initiative is part of broader efforts by the Chinese government to ensure that Islamic practices conform to state ideologies, promoting a narrative that integrates religious beliefs with socialist values.

According to the organizers of the event, “Sinicization” refers not to the adaptation of the Holy Quran and Islam to Chinese traditions, but rather to aligning them with the principles of a “socialist society” and Xi Jinping’s concept of “Marxism with Chinese characteristics for the rejuvenation of the country in the New Era.”