We highlighted NPR's excellent series on religion in China yesterday, and today another eye-opening piece has come out: this one on female imams. While Islam elsewhere is usually associated with less women friendly policies, China's Muslim community has developed their own set of practices: "Men and women are equal here, maybe because we are a socialist country," one female imam in Henan said. Unfortunately, the longest history of female imams in the world is being threatened, not by religious prosecution, but because they just don't earn enough money. more ›

With 20 million Muslims around China, it is only in recent years that they have been able to go on the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam's holiest city, in substantial numbers. Thanks to rising affluence, growing numbers of Chinese Muslims are now able to fulfill their spiritual obligations of performing the Haj at least once in their lifetime, and this year, a record 10,700 of them are expected to do so. Five departure ports... more ›

A record number of more than 10,500 Chinese Muslims are expected to fulfill their pilgrimages to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, according to the Islamic Association of China (IAC) Sunday. more ›

Muslims all around China are currently observing Ramadan, which ends on 12th of October. Here in this picture, believers are awaiting the start of prayers at Jinan's Northern Mosque which is built in traditional Chinese architectural style. The exact number of Muslims in China is unknown, though it is estimated to range between 20 and 100million. Chinese Muslims are generally from the Hui, Uyghur, Kazakh, Dongxiang, Kirghiz, Salar, Tajik, Bonan and Tatar ethnic groups (in descending order of size). more ›