On November 27, 2023, the British newspaper “Financial Times” published a disturbing investigation titled “How China is tearing down Islam?” In the report, satellite images reveal how the Chinese government destroyed the architectural features of thousands of mosques and prohibited those under the age of 18 from entering them!

Simultaneously, on November 21, 2023, the British newspaper “The Guardian” published a report from China, indicating that the Beijing government had closed hundreds of mosques in the northern regions with a Muslim majority, according to “Human Rights Watch.”

It pointed out the alteration of the identity of other mosques by removing minarets as part of a cleansing campaign so that they could not be identified, following plans to eradicate the Muslim identity in China.

According to the report, Chinese authorities have either closed or altered hundreds of mosques in the northern regions of Ningxia and Gansu, home to the largest Muslim population in China after Xinjiang, as part of broader efforts to “impose a Chinese identity” on religious minorities in China.

Researchers at “Human Rights Watch,” who analyzed satellite imagery, stated that the Chinese government significantly reduced the number of mosques in the autonomous regions of Ningxia and Gansu province. Between 2019 and 2021, the domes and minarets were removed from all seven mosques, and significant changes were made to four of them, involving destroying parts of them.

They estimated that around 1,300 mosques in Ningxia, one-third of the total registered number, have been closed since 2020.

This comes as the Chinese Communist Party continues to demolish mosques of Uyghur Muslims in East Turkestan, southern China.

Muslims in China also complain about the Communist Party's interference in the content of Friday sermons, imposing on them the promotion of communism. Muslims in Ningxia, one of the five autonomous regions in China alongside Inner Mongolia, Tibet, East Turkestan, and Guangxi, express their anger at the Communist Party's interference in their religious affairs.

Campaign against the domes and minarets of a thousand historic mosques

The campaign initiated by the Chinese authorities since 2021 to remove thousands of domes from historic mosques in the south and west of China, where the majority are Muslims, under the pretense of making them look “more Chinese,” as they claim, has escalated significantly.

Despite the suppression and oppression of Muslims in China and the forced change of their identity, Muslims in southwestern China resisted the demolition campaign in May 2023. The authorities had gone to great lengths to demolish mosques and hang panels bearing the emblem of the Chinese Communist Party, leading to rage escalation.

On May 27, 2023, the Muslim-majority residents of Xinjiang in southwestern China clashed with the police when the bulldozers of the Communist Party began to demolish the domes of a mosque that had stood for centuries as part of cultural cleansing and erasing Islamic history following the violations of Muslim beliefs and culture.

The “Washington Post” confirmed on May 29, 2023, that crowds of Muslims resisted, on May 27, against dozens of Chinese riot police as they rushed toward the gate of the Najiaying Mosque, a significant center for worship and religious education for the Muslim Hui minority in Yunnan province. This information was based on videos shared by activists on Twitter.

The police were forced to withdraw from the area in the face of the Muslims' anger, who demonstrated and staged a sit-in outside the mosque gate throughout the night. The authorities then deployed massive forces to suppress the Muslims and continue the demolition of domes and minarets of mosques, subsequently starting an arresting campaign against Muslims.

Chinese Islam!

As reported by the American “CNN” on May 30, 2023, Muslims in China have had enough of the campaign to demolish the domes of their mosques, alter their Islamic heritage, and hang banners desecrating them by the Communist Party.

It confirmed that the campaign to demolish mosque domes in the village of Najiang in Yunnan province and elsewhere is part of a sweeping campaign launched by the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, called “Sinicizing Muslims” or “Sinicizing Religion.” This aims to establish a “Chinese Islam” similar to Western attempts to shape what is known as “Moderate Western Islam,” where Muslims do not strictly adhere to Sharia (Islamic Laws).

“CNN” described the destruction of mosque domes and minarets as a political campaign, stating that the Chinese authorities claim to purify religious beliefs from foreign influence and align them closely with traditional Chinese culture under the officially atheistic and authoritarian rule of the Communist Party.

Over the past three years, the communist authorities have removed Islamic architectural features and demolished domes and minarets, and Muslims in the Hui region with a Muslim majority stated that more than a thousand mosques across the country have had their domes and minarets demolished.

The “East Turkistan News Agency,” representing Chinese Muslims, stated that the Chinese authorities seek to remove mosque minarets and domes in the city of Shadian, turning them to the Chinese style, leading to a fierce conflict with Chinese Muslims who protested against the policies of the Chinese Communist Party.

This campaign began in 2021 when a report by the American Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on October 25, 2021, revealed that authorities in the city of Xining, the capital of Qinghai province in northwest China, removed the domes of the historic Dongguan Mosque, which dates back seven centuries.

The Chinese authorities claimed that these domes reflected foreign religious influence, referring to previous allegations of Saudi and Arab influence. They stated that their goal was to impart a Chinese character to these mosques and historical Islamic ethnic groups.

The large green domes crowning the minarets were removed, and the prayer hall was missing under the slogan “Removing Saudi and Arab Influence.” However, Chinese Muslims argue that the true objective is the explicit removal of Islamic architecture as part of a campaign to make historical Islamic ethnic groups more traditionally Chinese.

Activists and human rights groups confirm that authorities have intensified efforts in recent years to restrict religious practices for minority Hui Muslims throughout China. This includes the closure of Islamic schools, prohibiting Arabic language classes, and preventing children from learning and practicing Islam.

According to these sources, over 200 mosques in Yunnan province alone have had their domes and minarets demolished, in addition to more than a thousand mosques in the northwest of the country.

Activists emphasize that the ultimate goal of the Chinese Communist Party is to implement a policy of cultural and religious annihilation, similar to what happened in the Xinjiang region with the Uyghurs.

Unlike the Uyghurs, the ethnic Hui Muslims in China, numbering around 10 million people, do not seek separation from China. They represent half of the Muslim population in China, according to official statistics.

The history of Najiang Mosque, which China sought to demolish in its recent campaign, dates back to the thirteenth century. Over the years, the mosque underwent several expansions, adding buildings, along with four minarets and a domed roof.

In recent years, the restrictions imposed by the Chinese Communist Party on religious practices have intensified significantly, and the surveillance of religious leaders has been heightened.

This follows Chinese President Xi Jinping's call for total political loyalty from religious communities, advocating for what is known as “Sinicization” of religion—imparting a Chinese character to it.

As part of a national campaign to eliminate foreign influences, which started earnestly in 2018, authorities have removed the domes of most mosques throughout northwest China.

 This comes after President Xi Jinping's call for complete political loyalty and the "Sinicization" of religion, leading to increased restrictions on religious expressions.

As part of this policy, authorities imposed meetings at Najiang Mosque for the recitation of Maoist slogans. Communist Party slogans were also painted on the walls, compelling worshipers to read them and pledge allegiance to the Communist Party rather than Islamic beliefs.

Additionally, the Chinese Communist Party authorities confiscated mosque assets, imprisoned imams, closed religious institutions, and imposed restrictions on the use of languages other than Chinese, such as Tibetan or Uyghur. They increasingly targeted Muslim scholars and writers with harsh restrictions.

The number of Muslims in China is approximately 10.5 million, which is less than 1% of the country's population. Authorities claim to aim for the cultural and linguistic assimilation of Muslims into Chinese society. They have even attempted to mold their version of Islam to resemble Confucianism and Taoism, presenting it as inherently Chinese and not influenced by foreign elements!

Source: Yousef Ahmed | Al-Mugtama