China’s Hui minority defend a local mosque against demolition. [Picture: Twitter/@majuismail1122]
A recent attempt by authorities to go ahead with a court-sanctioned partial demolition of a mosque in a Muslim town in China was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to persecution in that country.
That was according to Gheyyur Qurban, director of the World Uyghur Congress. He said Chinese authorities had been on a decades-long drive to eradicate Islam and had so far demolished some 16 000 mosques in the northwestern region alone.
On Saturday, hundreds of police clashed with protestors in Nagu, Yunnan province. A large number of people had gathered to prevent the removal of minarets – deemed illegal by a 2020 court ruling – at the 14th century Najiaying mosque.
“This is one of the tips of [the] icebergs. The Chinese government has been conducting a violent campaign against the Muslim nation, including the Uyghurs and other Chinese Muslim communities. The Chinese government has been declaring Islam as a disease, a sickness that must be eradicated,” said Qurban in an interview out of Berlin, Germany.
SMread: Siddiqui sisters meet after 20 years
Demolition not unusual
Qurban said the demolition of mosques was no unusual occurrence. He said the government, led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), had long been implementing “unprecedented levels of persecution against the Uyghur Muslim nation”.
They were forcing Muslims to denounce their religion, denounce their cultural identity and to accept communism as the only divine rule, he said.
“Right from elementary school, they tried to brainwash us. It was illegal to read Islamic scriptures, to practise religion, as far as 1966. It was not [allowed] for Uyghurs to learn about their religion and even bring their children. We have been interrogated in school about the religious practices of our parents.”
Although the country’s constitution guarantees religious freedom, authorities have continued to crackdown on religious practices. A statement released by local police on Sunday gave protestors an ultimatum to turn themselves in by June 6.
