Mafialeaks
Politcal Worker (100+ posts)
Wrecked mosques, police watch: A tense Ramadan in Xinjiang
HOTAN, CHINA (AFP) - The corner where Heyitkah Mosque in China's restive Xinjiang region once hummed with life is now a concrete parking lot where all traces of the tall, domed building have been erased. Read more at straitstimes.com.
HOTAN, CHINA (AFP) - The corner where Heyitkah Mosque in China's restive Xinjiang region once hummed with life is now a concrete parking lot 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 Uighurs and other ethnic minorities face in the heavily policed region. Behind the lot 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. "The situation here is very strict, it takes a toll on my heart," said one Uighur, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. "I don't go any more," he added, referring to mosques. "I'm scared."
A carpark where the Heyitkah Mosque once stood. PHOTO: AFP
In the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar, no longer does the sunrise prayer call echo throughout the city - a ritual the manager of the city's central mosque once proudly shared with tourists. On Wednesday (June 5), locals celebrating Eid al-Fitr quietly filed into the entrance of state-approved Idkah Mosque - one of the largest in China - as police and officials fenced off the wide square surrounding the building and plainclothes men monitored every person's actions. It was another low-key Ramadan for Muslims in Xinjiang, with restaurants busy serving food to customers throughout the day, when practising Muslims fast. In Hotan on Friday - a holy day for believers - the only mosque in the city was empty after sundown, an important prayer session when Muslim families typically break their daily fast
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