How does a state make sure its citizens can’t practice a religion other than what it prescribes? The Chinese government has a solution: Shut down their places of worship.
In at least two provinces in China, authorities have embarked on a “mosque consolidation” scheme, where Islamic religious venues are closed, destroyed, or repurposed. The plan is part of a systematic effort to curb the practice of Islam in the country, in violation of religious freedom.
Limiting Choice
Chinese law allows people to practice only officially approved religions in officially approved places of worship. Authorities also retain strict control over houses of worship.
In 2016, President Xi Jinping called for the “Sinicization” of religions, making them Chinese. The aim is to ensure that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the arbiter of people’s spiritual life. Since then, state control over religion has strengthened.
How It Works
Government documents suggest authorities have been “consolidating” mosques in Ningxia and Gansu provinces, which have the highest Muslim populations in China after Xinjiang.
The consolidation efforts aim to dissuade people from going to mosques to pray. Authorities dismantle the venues, removing minarets, domes, and anything else inside essential to religious practice, like preachers’ podiums. Once worship is discouraged and people stop attending, officials use that as an excuse to close the mosque.
Actions against mosques often coincide with the government’s efforts to relocate villagers from impoverished, rural areas, consolidating several villages into one.
The Outcome
Hundreds of mosques reportedly face closure in Ningxia. Since 2017, Chinese authorities in Xinjiang have damaged or destroyed two-thirds of the region’s mosques, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
The government’s policies show a blanket disregard for freedom of religion not only of Muslims, but all religious communities in China. These attempts to curtail freedom of religion should be met with swift condemnation.
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