CHINESE MUSLIMS: EARLY ISLAMIC MISSIONARIES OF THE PHILIPPINES

1) The Coming of Chinese Muslims- Before the Spaniards came to the Philippines and brought with them the Christian faith. Some Chinese became bearers of the Muslim faith to the Philippines and "some of the early Arab missionaries, who had brought the faith of Islam to Sulu and settled there, arrived in Chinese junks and accompanied by Chinese Moslems." The Chinese Muslims were called "Sina Hoy-Hoy" which comes from the term used for Chinese Muslims considered to constitute of of the five peoples of the celestial empire. (Alfonso Felix Jr.)

2) Point of Dialogue- Trade became the point of encounter and dialogue between the Sultanate of Sulu and the Chinese. In the accounts of historical navigation and trade in Southeast Asia, the earliest encounter between China and Sulu was during the Yuan Mongol Dynasty which was in 1278-1368. Trade and products were in exchange between China and Sulu through the Arab traders. Cesar A. Majul said that "some traditional accounts clearly speak of a number of Chinese Moslems accompany the Arab trader-missionaries." Cultures have integrative elements and in this case, the Chinese and Arab traders find trade as a point of integration and point of encounter. However, by the fact that there were Chinese Muslims found during these trading centuries, it would be possible for these Chinese to find their entry into Christianity.

3) Economic Development of Sulu- Many of the Chinese who came to Sulu decided to live permanently through intermarriages. Marriage became another stable and feasible contact with Chinese and Filipino cultures in the south. Cesar Majul said that "from the earliest times when they came as traders up to the end of the Spanish regime in Jolo, the Chinese continuously contributed to Sulu's economic and commercial prosperity." Many Chinese embraced Islam and what is significant here is that according to Cesar A. Majul "there is no evidence of any forced conversions of the Chinese to Islam and they were never bothered on account of their religious beliefs. However, the converted Chinese, because of their relative wealth, had individually strengthened Islam in Sulu through their generous support of mosques and religious activities."

4) Chinese Cultural Practices- The Chinese in the Sulu did not only adapt to local customs and religion but they were great influences of Sulu's life. There were some accounts that positively trace the Chinese contributions to the local culture of Sulu. First, the Sulu style of dress, according to Majul, is one of these and "if traditional accounts are to be believed, the first sleeved shirts in Sulu were brought by Arab and Chinese merchants." Second, the restriction of the use of yellow to Sulu royalty, according to Majul is also attributed to Chinese influence. Third, according to Majul, the Chinese introduced culinary habits, new agricultural techniques, the system of grafting and methods to improve the quality of fruits. Fourth, the building of mosques and even the Sultan's residence had Chinese traces and traditions.

SIGNS TOWARD A "BRIDGING DIALOGUE"