China accused of demolishing mosques in northern provinces
China has been accused of shutting, demolishing and repurposing mosques in two northern regions as part of a “systematic effort” to curb the practice of Islam.
Beijing’s clampdown on the religion has expanded from Xinjiang, where it has long been accused of oppressing the Muslim Uyghur population, to the northern provinces of Ningxia and Gansu, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Wednesday.
The investigation alleged that the Chinese government had significantly reduced the number of mosques in the two provinces under its “mosque consolidation” policy, violating the right to freedom of religion.
It said the authorities had decommissioned, closed down, demolished and converted mosques for secular use.
The research is backed by satellite images that show the removal of Islamic architectural features, such as domes and minarets.
In one example in Ningxia, HRW verified and analysed videos and pictures posted online by Hui Muslims and corroborated them with satellite imagery that showed significant destruction to four mosques.
The pictures showed that three main buildings had been razed and the ablution hall of one was damaged inside. In the same areas, the authorities had removed the domes and minarets of all seven mosques.
It was not clear how many mosques have been forced to close or been repurposed in recent years, but government reports suggest it is likely to be hundreds.
‘Disregard for freedom of religion’
Authorities in the city of Zhongwei, in Ningxia, in 2019 reported that they had altered 214 mosques and consolidated and banned dozens more, while in the town of Jingui, authorities said they had “rectified” more than 130 buildings “with Islamic architectural features”.
“The Chinese government’s policies of ‘sinicisation’ show a blanket disregard for freedom of religion, not only of all Muslims in China, but all religious communities in the country,” Maya Wang, acting China director at HRW, said.
“Governments concerned about religious freedom should raise these issues directly with the Chinese government and at the United Nations and other international forums.”
The policy of “consolidating mosques” was referenced in a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) document in 2018 that outlined a multi-pronged national strategy to “sinicise” Islam, or make it more Chinese, said HRW.
It instructs the CCP and state agencies throughout the country to “strengthen the standardised management of the construction, renovation and expansion of Islamic religious venues”.
‘Curbing the practice of Islam’
Ms Wang said the Chinese government’s closure, destruction and repurposing of mosques was “part of a systematic effort to curb the practice of Islam in China”.
The report casts a wide spotlight on the alleged suppression of Islam beyond widely documented state abuses in Xinjiang.
Last year, a United Nations report said that China may have committed “crimes against humanity” in the western region of Xinjiang, home to more than 11 million Uyghurs and Muslim minorities, including through its construction of a network of extrajudicial internment camps.
The Chinese foreign ministry has so far not responded to the report. The Telegraph contacted the Chinese embassy in London for comment.
