Simultaneous affiliation and dissonance : identity among traditional Chinese Muslims in Singapore.

• Main Author: Mohamed Feroz Taherbhai.
• Other Authors: Sulfikar Amir
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities::Religions::Islam; DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology::Communities, classes and races; DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology::Culture::Chinese
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/34355
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Of all the ethnic groups in Singapore with an interstitial identity, the Chinese Muslims are the most fascinating as the component terms are perceived to be mutually exclusive. Despite the significant amount of social scientific research conducted on them, no researcher hitherto has been able to complete a study on Traditional Chinese Muslims in Singapore, who are descendents of Sinic Muslims (known as the “Hui”) in China. My thesis is an introductory study into Traditional Chinese Muslims and how they construct and negotiate their identity in a region where Islam has a very strong ethnic flavour. I also explore how this unique group imagines itself, especially when it comes to their conception of Chinese identity. This paper also analyzes Hui culture, community and solidarity within the group, while elucidating common experiences which have played an integral role in shaping their sense of self.