Changes of Sharia in China

Sharia was basically accepted by Chinese Muslims during the period of its quick dissemination, but there were different ways of acceptance in different regions. The difference is mainly shown in the following three situations.

One situation was that after a period of conflicts between the original Sharia and the customary law, the former replaced the latter, and the latter only remained in some details. This mainly happened to the Uygur people and part of the Mongolian people. In history, particularly, due to the strong support of the Mongolian noblemen, pure Sharia took dominant position in some regions in a certain period.

Second, original Sharia was integrated with the customary law of certain peoples. This mainly happened to Kazak Muslims. Today, customary law is reflected in almost every aspect of life in this people.

Third, the implementation of Sharia was restricted by national laws and customary law of the ruling people. Therefore, Sharia could only keep its influence on Muslims in certain aspects. This mainly happened to the Hui people. Sharia only played a role in aspects such as routine rites, religious moral, taboos and so on.