Eid in China: Faith beyond borders

This year’s Eid-el Kabir celebration in the People’s Republic of China was more than a day of worship for me. It was a memorable moment marked by human kindness experienced in a foreign land. I was among the 22 participants in a three-week “Seminar for Renowned Nigerian Commentators” which was organised by the China International […]

This year’s Eid-el Kabir celebration in the People’s Republic of China was more than a day of worship for me. It was a memorable moment marked by human kindness experienced in a foreign land.

I was among the 22 participants in a three-week “Seminar for Renowned Nigerian Commentators” which was organised by the China International Communications Group (CICG) Institute of International Studies and Advanced Training and sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

After spending two weeks in Beijing, we departed for Chongqing two days before Eid.

For four of us who are Muslims, a quiet concern lingered in our minds right from the day we arrived in China: how would we celebrate Eid in a country where Muslims are a minority?

In one of the lectures we attended, we had been told that China’s Muslim population is estimated at 20 million out of the country’s total population of 1.4 billion, spread across different regions and ethnic groups.

While mosques exist, we were uncertain about how accessible they would be to foreign visitors unfamiliar with the language and the geography.

That uncertainty remained with us until the eve of Eid, when we received information about a mosque in Chongqing where the prayer would take place. Relief came instantly, but it was accompanied by some questions: how would we get there? What would the process be like? The only way to find answers was to go.

On Eid day, we set out early from our hotel, R&H, situated at No. 38, Jianxin North Road, Jiangbei District. The Chongqing Central Mosque, which is located at Zhongxing Road, Yuzhong District, is 8 kilometres away. In Chongqing, distance is not just distance; it is navigating a complex city landscape.

One of the hotel receptionists ordered a taxi for me and the Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times and president of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria, Mr Musikilu Mojeed. The fare was 35 RMB. As the vehicle moved steadily through the city, I began to reflect on how different this year’s Eid felt from those observed back home in Nigeria, where mosques are within easy reach.

On our arrival at the mosque, the experience immediately took on a formal structure as security checks were in place. We were required to present our international passports before entry.  Other worshippers were asked to present their identity cards. At first, it felt unusual to associate worship with documentation and registration. But it soon became clear to me that that was part of a system designed to manage religious gatherings in an organised and secure way, especially in a context where Muslims are a minority.

The mosque’s environment was orderly and filled with worshippers preparing for Eid prayer. There was a sense of unity despite differences in language, nationality and background. The prayer, led by a Chinese imam, began at 9:28 am, followed by a seven-minute khutbah (sermon).  I could not understand every word of the khutbah, but its message was familiar: gratitude, sacrifice and devotion. These are ideas that do not depend on language, but are understood through the heart.

Inside the mosque, I noticed the diversity of worshippers. Among them were some young Nigerians studying in China with whom I exchanged greetings that needed no translation.

After the prayer, some of the Chinese worshippers greeted me with smiles, while others requested to take photographs with me. In that moment, the mosque felt less like a foreign space and more like a shared human space built on mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.

But the day was not without a challenge. As we prepared to return to our hotel after the prayer, it dawned on us that getting a taxi would not be easy.  The language barrier became a real obstacle. We struggled to communicate our destination as most taxi drivers could not understand English. For a while, we moved around uncertainly, until we approached two Chinese security officials who, through gestures, managed to understand our situation and eventually helped us arrange a taxi back to our hotel.

The Eid in Chongqing reminded me that faith is not limited by geography. Whether in Nigeria or China, the essence is the same: submission, gratitude and devotion to our Creator. The warmth of the Chinese worshippers, the presence of Nigerian students far from home, and the help from the Chinese security officials affirmed the truth that humanity is more connected than it sometimes appears.

But for the opportunity to celebrate this year’s Eid in Chongqing, I might not have appreciated the fact that beyond languages, borders and cultures, people can still meet one another with respect, curiosity and kindness, especially in a world defined by differences.