Chinese authorities have demolished, closed and converted hundreds of mosques in the northwestern Ningxia region and Gansu province as part of the government’s efforts to restrict Islam, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Wednesday.
Police have also removed domes, minarets, and other Islamic architectural features from other mosques as part of Beijing’s “mosque consolidation” policy, the New York-based group said.
“The Chinese government is not ‘consolidating’ mosques as it claims, but closing many in violation of religious freedom,” said Maya Wang, Human Rights Watch’s acting China director.
“The Chinese government’s closure, destruction, and repurposing of mosques is part of a systematic effort to curb the practice of Islam in China,” she said.
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News category: News Shorts, World.
