Xinjiang’s vanishing mosques highlight pressure on China’s Muslims as Ramadan ends with a whimper
- Few signs of Eid celebrations after crackdown that has seen a reported million Uygurs and other minorities interned in camps
- Muslims in far western Chinese region say they are now ‘too scared’ to practise their faith in public
The corner where Heyitkah mosque in China’s far western region of Xinjiang once hummed with life is now a car park where all traces of the tall, domed building have been erased.
While Muslims around the world celebrated the end of Ramadan with prayers and festivities this week, the recent destruction of dozens of mosques in Xinjiang highlights the increasing pressure Uygurs and other ethnic minorities face in the heavily policed region.
Behind the car park in the city of Hotan, the slogan “Educate the people for the party” is emblazoned in red on the wall of a primary school where students must scan their faces upon entering the razor-wired gates.
The mosque “was beautiful”, recalled a vendor at a nearby bazaar. “There were a lot of people there.”
Satellite images reviewed by AFP and visual analysis non-profit Earthrise Alliance show that 36 mosques and religious sites have been torn down or had their domes and corner spires removed since 2017.
In the mosques that are open, worshippers go through metal detectors while surveillance cameras monitor them inside.
