Brief History of Islamic Sects and the System of Menhuan in China

Author: Ma Tong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-04-01
Features: Islam is a widely spread religion with a global influence. It is both a religion and a socio-political system. The founder of Islam, Muhammad, was both a religious leader and a national leader. The rise and development of Islam hold an important place in world history, especially the energy Islam has demonstrated in contemporary international affairs, indicating that it is an indispensable social force in the modern Third World. In the 1950s, under the leadership of Comrade Ma, the author conducted some surveys on Islamic sects and the system of menhuan, compiling reference materials for studying ethnic and religious policies. Later, additional efforts were made to gather and verify more information. The Cultural Revolution caused the loss of some valuable original materials. To preserve the data, the author first organized the scattered materials at hand, titled "A Brief History of Islamic Sects and Menhuan in China," for the reference of scholars, experts, and those studying this issue. Although titled "A Brief History," this material falls far short of meeting the requirements of a historical account, let alone a scholarly work. As for the religious doctrines and cultivation theories of the sects and menhuan, I believe they belong to a different scope of discussion and are rarely addressed in this paper.