Fears grow about future of Islam in China

Mosque protest highlights Beijing’s repressive attempts to bring believers in line

Thousands of demonstrators gathered at a mosque in China to stop its government-ordered demolition, a participant said yesterday, as Beijing’s increasingly harsh policies against religion heighten anxiety about Islam’s future in the country.

Across the nation, officials have sought Chinese to limit religious freedoms for Muslims as part of a widespread attempt to bring believers in line with the dictates of the ruling Communist Party. Protesters began gathering on Thursday ahead of a deadline to demolish the grand mosque in Weizhou town, in the northern Ningxia region.

“The government said it’s an illegal building, but it’s not. The mosque has several hundred years of history,” Ma said.

The mosque was rebuilt over the past two years, according to government documents, but the licensing process was not carefully managed and several officials received a “serious warning” from a local disciplinary committee.

In the process, the facade was changed from its previous Chinese style — featuring sweeping tiled roofs similar to a Buddhist temple — to what is often described in China as an “Arab” design, with domes

Across the nation, Chinese officials have sought to limit religious freedoms for Muslims.

and crescents. Concerns have been growing in Weizhou since the circulation of a government order last week demanding the mosque’s demolition on the grounds that it had been rebuilt without the proper permits.

The document said that if the building was not demolished by Friday, August 10, the government would “forcefully tear it down, and you will accept responsibility for the consequences.”

Islam is one of five officially recognised religions in China, home to some 23 million Muslims.