Hanging out with the girls! These ladies featured in this story are from the Hui ethnic minority in China. There are approximately 10 million Hui in the country, most of whom are practicing Muslims.
I filmed this story at a female-only mosque in Henan province, Central China. These types of mosque are a unique feature of Islam in China and the Imams of these mosques are also female. They are known as nü ahong (女阿訇). Due to Beijing having tight control over religious practices, Chinese Muslims are isolated from Islamic world trends – this explains the situation whereby female Imams, an ancient tradition long ended elsewhere, can continue to exist in China.
Shot on a Canon 5DMKiii with Canon EF f2.8 70-200mm IS II and EF f4 24-70mm IS II lenses.
Credits
Reporter – Huey Fern Tay
Camera and Edit – James Bayliss-Smith