Our mission is to provide an education for needy children and orphans in the rural areas of China.
We strongly believe that it is through education that they can develop their potential and abilities to benefit the community. Education, especially one which integrates Islamic values and principles, will nurture them to be upright and responsible individuals with a moral and social conscience working towards the good of society. With knowledge and skills acquired, these youths will be able to earn a decent living and break out of their economic poverty.
With funds derived from the tours as well as from well-wishers, we shall set up more kindergartens, vocational schools, orphanages and old folks' home. Although these institutions do exist in China there are very few which cater to Muslims only. There is thus a need to set up such institutions separately for the Muslims because of the Halal food constraints and our Muslim way of life which incorporates the five daily prayers.
We hope to co-operate with some provincial government to help set up orphanages. Insha’Allah these orphans would one day be adopted by Muslim couples overseas through official channels.
By having cultural exchanges we learn how faithful Muslims in China have been able to maintain their Islamic practices and coexist amicably in a totally Chinese environment under a non-Muslim government. We also encourage educational exchanges between schools to learn from each other’s systems of education.
Help us to succeed in our mission by participating in our Silaturrahim Tours. You can see for yourself the livelihood of the Muslim community in the country and you may be moved to contribute towards our charitable cause.
We hope to spread our wings further to organise Silaturrahim Tours to cover more countries throughout the world.
Our History
Brother Jaafar Mah, a Chinese Muslim living in Singapore whose ancestors were Muslims from China conceived the idea of Silaturrahim Tour in 1994. As there are many Malay Muslims in Singapore who are still unaware of the fact that Islam existed in China as early as the 8th century, a trip to China would be an eye-opener. In fact there exist in China many historical and cultural sites and relics of Islamic interest as well as madrasahs and mosques which were built hundreds of years ago. The oldest mosque is the one in Kwantung, known as the Luminous Tower Mosque — the first mosque in the world to be built outside Medina.
As Brother Jaafar has always maintained close contact with the Muslim community in China, he has made arrangements with the relevant Muslim authorities and tour agents there to facilitate the Silaturrahim Tour and to ensure that those who go on the tour will get genuine Halal food.
In 1995, the first Silaturrahim Tour was launched for members of the Muslim Converts Association of Singapore (Darul Arqam) and Brother Jaafar led this pioneer group. Since then such tours have been organised regularly throughout the year for the convenience of Muslims who wish to visit China.
As the tours gradually became popular among the Muslims in Singapore, commercial tour agencies began to ride on the idea as they realise that there is a potential market for China Muslim tours. But our Silaturrahim Tour is non-profit based as they are organised as a community service project. Proceeds from the tours are channeled to sponsor poor and needy children to have an opportunity to pursue an education, to set up child-care centers cum kindergartens and to help build sanitary facilities in poor rural areas. We hope that Muslims from all over the world will help in our charity effort by participating in our Silaturrahim Tour.
Our Charity
We have set up two Muslim NGOs in China. The first, ZhangJia Chuan Charity, was registered in 2002, while our second NGO, the Ningxia-Xiji Welfare Charity, was set up in 2006. We run a series of charity projects, such as supporting orphans, rebuilding damaged mosques and providing clean water to poor Muslim communities. A full list of our charity projects can be found in the Charity Projects section of our website.
The honorary chairman of our NGO is Sister Mariah Mah, a Chinese Muslim from Singapore and the sister of Brother Jaafar Mah, who has been voted as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the World (2009) for her active charity work.
Mariah Mah has been an educator for over 30 years while also continuing her family tradition of carrying out charity work for the underprivileged in various rural areas of China. Along with other volunteers, Mah provides community services including organizing sacrifices during special days in the Islamic calendar, sponsoring underprivileged students and orphans for education, distributing zakat, food and clothing to those who need it, and setting up educational centers in remote villages in China. for the needy.
The 500 Most Influential Muslims 2009
The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre
Other members of our committee include:
Honarary Advisor: Jaafar Mah (Singapore)
Council Chairman：Salleh La Yin Fu (Director of Projects, Min. of Education in Xiji)
Secretary General：Musa Ma Xue Liang ( Director of Medical Insurance Xiji)
Members:
Madam Tian Jun Xiu (Vice Gov.of Xiji)
Abu Bakar Ma chi de (President of Xiji Islam Assoc.)
Ma Zhen Hua (Asst Director of Education)
Yang Pei (Education Officer, Min. of Education)
Madam Ma Zhen Hua (Civil Service Xiji)
More details of our charity can be found here: Xiji Charity Welfare Organisation.
