Haji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang, eminent master of Arabic
calligraphy. Born in 1963 in eastern China’s
Shandong Province bordering the Yellow Sea, Haji Noor
Deen lectures on the art of Arabic calligraphy at
the Islamic College in Zhen Zhou, where he also established
a correspondence course to enable students from all
areas of China to study Arabic calligraphy. In addition,
he researches Islamic culture at the Henan Academy
of Sciences. In 1997, Haji Noor Deen was the first
Chinese Muslim to be awarded the Egyptian Certificate
of Arabic Calligraphy and to be admitted as a member
of the Association of Egyptian Calligraphy.
Haji Noor Deen displayed his works in July of 2001
as part of a month-long tour of the western United
States sponsored by the Zaytuna Institute. The display
of his beautiful artwork was a tribute to the unification
of the Arabic and Chinese calligraphic tradition.
He was invited to participate in the Zaytuna Institute’s
3rd Annual Conference and Fundraiser on July 1 in
Santa Clara, California, which focused on the topic
“Unity Through Diversity.”
Haji Noor Deen also spoke about Islam in China. As
one of the largest nations in the world, China's population
represents 56 nationalities, ten of which have an
Islamic background. By sea and by land, Muslims went
to China over the first three hundred years of Islam.
The first official delegation was sent to China by
the Khalifa Uthman in approximately 651 A.D. Both
the Islamic and Chinese cultures have a rich tradition
of respect, mercy, and compassion. Thus, Islam found
little resistance as it took root in China.
Today, there are approximately twenty million Muslims
and thirty-five thousand mosques in China. The architecture
of the mosques is a testament to the vastness of Islam's
identity. They are wooden structures, which inculcate
both an Islamic and Chinese style. The interplay of
these cultures, which is exemplified in the architecture
of the Chinese mosque, plays a vital role in the Muslim-Chinese
identity.
[souces: www.zaytuna.org,
www.wrmea.com]
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