Human Rights Watch: China is closing, demolishing and converting mosques

Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report on the destruction of places of worship belonging to Muslim communities in the Ningxia Autonomous Region and Gansu Province in China.

In the report, “Chinese authorities have closed, demolished and converted mosques for other purposes as part of government efforts to restrict Muslim worship.” It was suggested.

President Xi Jinping’s comments on religions in 2016 “Sinicization” The report believes that state control over religion has strengthened since the call for this “Unifying mosques” He stated that the number of places of worship had been reduced.

The report noted that available government documents show that mosques have been “merged” into the Ningxia Autonomous Region and Gansu Province, which has the largest Muslim population after China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The report, which stated that Human Rights Watch analyzed videos and photos shared online by the Chinese Muslim Hui minority community in Ningxia, and used satellite images, stated that 4 of the seven mosques in the two villages had sustained severe damage. Three main buildings were destroyed, and ablution facilities in one of them were damaged.

The report claimed that the domes and minarets of 7 mosques in the villages in question were removed by the Chinese authorities.

The Chinese government’s policy of “unifying mosques”.

The report, which claimed to aim to “alleviate the economic burden” especially on Muslims living in poor and rural areas, said that the government’s measures against mosques were implemented by displacing villagers in these areas and merging several villages into one. .

A call from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to put pressure on China

The report specifically called on OIC member states and foreign governments to put pressure on China to stop its “mosque integration” policy and broader “Sinicization” campaign.

Maya Wang, the organization’s deputy director in China, whose opinion was included in the report, said: “The Chinese government is not unifying mosques as it claims, but is closing many of them in violation of religious freedoms. The Chinese government’s closure, demolition and transfer of mosques is an attempt to prevent the practice of Islam in China. “It’s part of a systematic effort,” he said.

Wang said the government’s “Sinicization” policies show that religious freedom is being ignored not only for Muslims but also for other religious communities in the country.