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Lucille Greer is a Schwarzman Fellow at the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States. She has conducted policy research in both the Middle East and China. Her current research project with the Wilson Center is entitled “Bridging the Gulf: China’s Navigation of the Saudi-Iranian Rivalry.” Her interests include authoritarianism, security, intervention policy, sectarianism, and American and Chinese foreign policy. She has published research with the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program, West Point’s Modern War Institute, and The Diplomat. Lucille has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University.
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.
