A brief moment: An elderly Chinese Muslim pauses in front of the Haidian Mosque in Beijing, as he prepares to deliver a sermon and lead Friday prayers.

Many Muslims may live peacefully in China, but religion remains a sensitive issue in the country.

“Is it true that China bans Muslims from fasting during Ramadhan?” has been the question most asked by my colleagues back in Indonesia.

A closer look at the life of Muslims in Xi’an and Beijing, two of the oldest and most historic cities in China, presented a completely different portrayal than the news coming out of Urumqi, the capital of the restive Muslim-majority Xinjiang province, where the Chinese government was said to ban any religious acts, including fasting during Ramadhan.

The largely atheist Chinese government might look ostensibly oppressive in the media, yet in reality the life of religious locals outside the Xinjiang province is more peaceful and less scary than what the news reports said.

Many Muslims in China practice their religious acts undisturbed. Among them are the citizens of Xi’an, the capital of ancient China that is rich with Islamic culture, thanks to its past prominence as the heartbeat of the Silk Road where merchants from Arabia used to trade.

Starting young: A child looks on during his prayer at Nujie Mosque, the largest mosque in Beijing.

Standing at the heart of Xi’an’s thriving services economy is the Muslim Quarter, which acts as the hub of the Islamic community in the city, estimated to be a home for around 50,000 Muslims. One of the iconic Islamic features in the hub is the Great Mosque of Xi’an, a 12,000-square-meter worshipping area that was founded in the year 742 during the Tang Dynasty, with the historic building remaining well preserved until now.

Xi’an is a depiction of how Islam had such a long and rich history on the mainland. In the past, the Chinese Muslims in big cities like Xi’an, most of whom were descendants of Arabic traders, held influential positions in society, with many respected generals in the old Chinese dynasties having been said to embrace Islam obediently.

Unlike in France, where wearing religious symbols in public is discouraged, in China such a thing is far from problematic. For example, visitors going to the food market in the Muslim Quarter in Xi’an would be greeted by a large number of Muslim merchants with headscarves or peci (Islamic style caps) adorning their heads.

Meanwhile in the capital Beijing, mosques with classical Chinese architecture are easily found throughout the city. Muslims freely pray in mosques and, on some special days like Idul Fitri or Idul Adha, the local government would even deploy security officers to guard the mosques during the prayers.

All major universities in Beijing also have their own “Muslim canteen” serving only halal food, which is a huge relief for foreign students living in a country that is the world’s largest pork consumer.

The atmosphere in the capital city has been so heartening that some foreign Muslims living in China feel more peaceful here than living in Europe or the US, where religiously bigoted acts have recently escalated in numbers.

“China might be a non-religious country, but actually it treats the Muslims better than countries in Europe that claim to defend human rights and the freedom of religions,” said Anas Aqeel, a Pakistani student in China who once lived in the UK.

Nevertheless, China’s relationship with religion is a complex affair. The Chinese government, while quietly promoting religious tolerance and discreetly allowing some Islamic symbols or religious acts to flourish, has always avoided throwing public support behind any religion.

Religion nonetheless remains a sensitive issue to be brought up in public discussion, with some Chinese Muslims opting to do their religious acts clandestinely. For example, during Ramadhan Chinese Muslim students in Beijing have to secretly gather in their universities’ Muslim canteens to do sahur (early breakfast in the dawn) without the knowledge of their respective universities.

When asked about the quiet action, one female Chinese Muslim university student explained that China is now in a harsh situation with respect to religions, especially for Islam.

“Many colleges don’t allow their school restaurants to cook for Ramadhan at all.”

“It’s the Muslim students’ consensus that we should keep a low profile about eating before dawn,” said the student, who wished to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the issue. “We just want to avoid any public discussion about Muslim restaurants cooking for Ramadhan,” she said.

— Photos by JP/Putera Satria Sambijantoro

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