Hui people

Hui Chinese are a Chinese ethnic group. Most Hui are culturally similar to Han Chinese with the exception that they practice Islam. Included with Hui Chinese are other Islamic Chinese who are dissimilar to Han Chinese but do not have their own ethnic group.

The definition of Hui Chinese poses some interesting issues. The obvious definition of the Hui has being Islamic Chinese poses two problems. The first is that the People's Republic of China is nominally atheist. The second is that if Chinese Muslims are entitled to ethnic group status, then what about Chinese Christians and Buddhists. In defining the Hui, the government has sidestepped this issue by defining them in terms of their group identity and ignore the fact that their group identity is based on religion.