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Bradley Jardine is a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States. His current research focuses on the overseas activities of Chinese paramilitary units and the proliferation of surveillance technology in Xinjiang and Eurasia. Jardine has spent five years as a journalist in the post-Soviet space and holds an MMS in global affairs from Tsinghua University, Beijing and an MA in Russian and Eurasian studies from the University of Glasgow.
The Chinese Islamic Association in the Arab World: The Use of Islamic Soft Power in Promoting Silence on Xinjiang
This article analyzes the coverage by Arabic-language Chinese state media of the Chinese Islamic Association’s activities following three key dates during Beijing’s increased securitization in Xinjiang. The article sheds light on the three-pronged approach that the state-led Chinese Islamic Association has used to craft the Xinjiang narrative for an Arabic-speaking audience: defending the uniqueness of Chinese Islam and warning of the threat of foreign influence; engaging in “Hajj diplomacy”; and conducting exchanges with Muslim leaders and Islamic institutions.
