How Chinese Muslim Women Are Protected

China is one of the few countries where there is a huge shortage of women. The implementation of the one child policy in 1979 led to millions of baby girls being killed or aborted. As parents are completely dependent on the support of their sons when they grow old, many families choose to abort females. Currently about 24 million Chinese men will not find wives.

This shortage has led to several social problems like forced prostitution and kidnapping and selling women to men who forcefully make them their wives. Consequently, more women than men commit suicide in China.

Although Muslim women in rural areas of China face many of these challenges, Islam has protected them from some of the worst dangers facing others. To begin with, Chinese Muslims do not practice female infanticide because of the Islamic prohibition and the negative affiliation of female infanticide with the jahaliyyah period.

Therefore, Muslim communities are not suffering the serious shortage of women experienced by Han Chinese communities. Prostitution, while common in most areas of China, is relatively uncommon in Muslim communities. Also, as Muslim women appear to be less likely to travel alone to distant cities in search of jobs, they are less vulnerable to being kidnapped and trafficked or forced into prostitution.

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Currently about 24 million Chinese men will not find wives

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[Also read: The Diverse Muslim Ethnic Groups Of China]

Finally, in some regions of China, Muslims take special pride in their daughters, and one of the ways they define themselves vis-a-vis the Han Chinese is that they see themselves as a community which respects women, whereas Han are characterized as having a “zhong nan, qing nu” attitude, or one that favors men and belittles women.

Throughout China, Muslim women are playing an active role in the revival of Islamic education, as both teachers and students. Young women attend Islamic schools and colleges, many of which are designated for women only. There are also mosques solely for women where they pray and learn.