China Blinks at Muslim Threat

Here is an interesting story (found at Dymphna's Well). The impending Chinese New Year will inaugurate the Year of the Pig. Normally this would result in China being festooned with images of pigs all over the place. Not so this time. The government has issued an order that pigs not be used in any form of advertising for the new year. Why, you may ask? Because the Chinese Muslims find pigs unclean and offensive.

The ban also applies to cartoons and traditional paper-cut images of pigs, and to slogans such as 'golden pig brings you fortune' and 'wish you a happy pig year,' the executive said. MORE

While it is pleasing to see the Chinese government attempting to accommodate religious minorities, we have not yet seen any such favors being done for the nation's Christians. Quite the opposite, actually.

Furthermore, the rulers of China are not in the habit of giving in to threats from people who feel oppressed or mistreated. The normal response is to impose even more oppression or mistreatment. So what's different this time?

Either Beijing is feeling unusually generous, or they are more afraid of their Islamic population than it appears. Either way, it's very strange.