In a dramatic shift from an enforcer of Chinese government policy towards Muslims to a dissenting voice in exile, Ma Ruilin has revealed detailed insights into how Beijing tightened its control over Muslim minorities.
In a series of interviews with the New York Times, the former official in the Chinese Communist Party described his journey from a party cadre implementing state policy to a believer practising his faith in secrecy, sometimes concealed beneath a motorcycle helmet.
Ma Ruilin explained that he chose to speak publicly so that other Hui Muslims, whom he described as suffering in despair and darkness, would know that they are not alone.
Now 50 years old, Ma previously held a mid level position within the religious affairs bureaucracy in Gansu Province. Today, he lives in New York City, where he runs a halal food restaurant in Manhattan.
He recounts how digital systems he helped design in 2008 were later transformed into shackles, tracking worshippers through facial recognition technologies.
A Painful Duality
Ma Ruilin said he lived for years a life of painful duality. By day, he implemented policies aimed at controlling Muslims. By night, he would quietly slip into mosques. Describing that period, he said:
“By day, my face looked exactly like those of my colleagues. But at night, I would kneel on a prayer mat and become a completely different person.”
Speaking bitterly about the nature of party work, he added: “To be a successful cadre, you must have strong loyalty to the Party but no humanity. You are trained to see other human beings as objects to be managed or commanded.”
The Devil’s Whip
Ma Ruilin acknowledged what he called his greatest sin: building a database in 2008 to track mosques and religious scholars, a tool later expanded by the government into a comprehensive surveillance system.
He explained that monitoring is carried out through cameras installed at mosque entrances, recording how often individuals attend prayers and with whom they interact.
According to Ma Ruilin, the data collected by these cameras leads to police interrogations, loss of employment, travel bans, or even transfer to so called re education camps.
Reflecting with remorse, he said: “I realised that the systems I helped build had become shackles for Muslims. I handed the devil’s whip to the state to use against my own community.”
Transformation and Escape
Ma Ruilin said the turning point in his life came in 2015 during his leadership of the fifth Hajj delegation, where he experienced what he described as a spiritual awakening. This was followed by an internal reckoning with the policy of sinicising religions pursued under President Xi Jinping, which included the demolition of minarets and the banning of Arabic script.
In February 2024, after his family had already left, he succeeded in reaching the United States, bringing to an end a decade long ordeal.
Ma Ruilin concludes his story with a poignant reflection on his current life in New York:
“I am free. At last, I have made peace with myself. I want to be a matchstick that lights hope for Hui Muslims who are losing hope in the darkness.”
I actually don’t know how to react to this piece. Are we to feel sorry for him or feel sad.. Don’t know. 😔
If anything it’s probably anger