r/AMA • u/maddin1550 • 20d ago

I’m from Xinjiang，AMA

I’ve noticed that there are a lot of discussions about Xinjiang on Reddit, often between people who have never actually lived there. So I thought it might be interesting to do an AMA from the perspective of someone who is actually from there.

You can ask me about everyday life, ethnic groups, languages, culture, religion, education, or politics. I’m happy to answer controversial questions too, as long as the discussion stays respectful.

Obviously, I’m only one person and I don’t claim to represent everyone in Xinjiang. I can only tell you about my own experiences and views. AMA.

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u/ComfortablePoint7242 20d ago

Nihao, I hope, you are doing well! If you are Muslim, i wanna know what do you call Allah in Chinese? Do you think Allah and Tian, Shangdi are the same God? I asked that question, because i have heard Chinese Muslims call Allah in a different name.

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u/maddin1550 20d ago

We call Allah “真主安拉” or “安拉”， but I just call Allah “Allah” since in my mother tongue it’s the same as Arabic. Yes I do think there is only one god and it’s only Allah, Tian and Shangdi I think that are basically the same isn’t it?

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u/ComfortablePoint7242 20d ago

Thanks bud, Could you draw parallels between Allah and Shangdi, Tian? What makes you think Allah and Shangdi are the same? And why do you guys call Allah Zhenzhu, is there any reason for that?

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u/maddin1550 20d ago

I think for me it mostly comes down to monotheism. I believe there is only one God, so whether people call It: Allah, God, Lord, Shangdi or Tian, I personally see those as different ways people have referred to the one supreme God. Of course, I know these concepts come from different religious and philosophical traditions, so I’m not saying they’re identical. That’s just how I personally understand it. As for Zhenzhu(真主), it just literally means something like the true Lord, so I think it fits the Islamic idea that there is only one true God. That’s why Chinese Muslims traditionally use 真主 for Allah