Yunnan: Worshippers surround 13th-century mosque to prevent demolition

Thousands of people in a Muslim-majority town in Yunnan, China surrounded a mosque in a last attempt to prevent authorities from removing the dome and minarets of a local mosque, as part of a crackdown on religious freedom.

Videos on social media showed police in riot gear trying to rein in protestors who had gathered around the mosque belonging to the Hui ethnic group in the Najiaying village. Some videos also showed the police withdrawing, as the crowd staged a sit-in outside the mosque gates.

“Officials in Nagu, in southwestern Yunnan province, pushed ahead with plans to raze four minarets and the dome roof of the 13th-century Najiaying Mosque,” Al Jazeera quoted a resident.

Hui are predominantly Sunni Muslims and are one of the 56 ethnic groups recognised by Beijing.

Groups focusing on Hui rights have said that China’s Counter-terrorism campaign has led to the detention of more than 100,000 from the community in re-education centres.

Many also face discrimination in the job market and the workplace, which has worsened due to the effect of government campaigns on Hui religious and cultural practices.

In recent times the Chinese Government has been on a ‘sinicization’ drive, looking to bring religious beliefs, faith, practice, and rituals in accordance with Chinese culture and society.

In 2021, the domes of the famous Dongguan Mosque in the city of Xining were removed, a trend seen in many places. The Xi Jinping government has been removing the domes and minarets of thousands of mosques in the country.

According to a CNN report on the incident, law enforcement authorities in Nagu township, where Najiaying is located, issued a statement saying that police were investigating a Saturday incident that “seriously disrupted social order” and caused a “vile social impact.”

According to numerous reports that have come out of the country, China has detained over a million Uyghur and other Muslims in internment camps in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. Reports suggest that many in these camps have also been subjected to intense surveillance, forced labour, and involuntary sterilizations, among other rights abuses.