Chinese Muslims and Religious Encounters in the “Chinatown” of Dakar, Senegal

This paper investigates religious encounters between Chinese and Senegalese Muslims in the relatively new Chinatown of Dakar. Chinese Muslims from Kaifeng City, Henan Province first arrived in Senegal in the 1990s following the Henan provincial state-owned construction company. They started a wholesale business mainly of clothing and shoes and brought their relatives and family members to Dakar. However, scholars studying the Chinese community in Dakar have largely ignored their Muslim identity and its significance. Moving beyond the conventional focus on tensions between Muslim and Chinese identities in the study of overseas Chinese Muslims, this paper turns to religious encounters in everyday life. Based on field research and interviews both in Dakar and Henan, this paper argues that for these Chinese Muslim businesspersons in Dakar, Islam as a shared religious identity sometimes provides opportunities to connect with their fellow Muslims in a foreign country. However, differences in religious practices can also lead to misconceptions between them and other Senegalese Muslims. This paper thus contributes to Islamic studies and the study of global China, particularly in relation to overseas Chinese Muslims, China–Africa encounters, and global Chinatowns.