Islam (Tibetan Muslim)

Generally speaking, the Tibetan Muslims are unique in the fact that they are largely of Kashmiri and Persian/Arab/Turkic descent through the patrilineal lineage and also often descendants of native Tibetans through the matrilineal lineage, although the reverse is not uncommon. Thus, many of them display a mixture of Aryan and indigenous Tibetan features. Owing to Tibetan influence, they have adopted Tibetan names while retaining Persian or Urdu surnames.

Blog focuses on Islam in Tibet as an academic study, meaning that there are historical overviews but the purpose of this blog is to analyze the depiction of that history and critique the scholarly biases present in the representation of Islam in Tibet. The analysis is in three main parts: an analysis of the history of Islam in Tibet, a short commentary on historical photographs and a critique of a documentary’s trailer.

The Tibetan Muslims, also known as the Kachee (Kache), form a small minority in Tibet. Despite being Muslim, they are classified as Tibetans, unlike the Hui Muslims, who are also known as the Kyangsha or Gya Kachee (Chinese Muslims). The Tibetan word Kachee literally means Kashmiri and Kashmir was known as Kachee Yul (Yul = Country). Owing to their small population, the Tibetan Muslims are scattered throughout Tibet, much of whom can be found in Lhasa and Shigatse.