Chinese protest against mosque demolition plan

THOUSANDS of Muslims gathered at a large mosque in north-western China yesterday to protest over its planned demolition in a rare, public outcry at the government’s efforts to rewrite how religions are practised.

A large crowd of Hui, a Muslim ethnic minority, began congregating on Thursday at the Grand Mosque in the town of Weizhou, which was completed only last year.

“People are in a lot of pain,” said Ma Sengming, a 72-year-old man who attended the protest for more than 24 hours. “Many people were crying. We can’t understand why this is happening.”

Ma said the group shouted “Protect faith in China!” and “Love the country, love the faith!”

The demonstration comes as faith groups that were largely tolerated in the past have seen their freedoms shrink as the government seeks to “Sinicise” religions by making the faithful prioritise allegiance to the officially atheist ruling Communist Party.

Islamic crescents and domes have been stripped from mosques, Christian churches have been shut down and Bibles seized, and Tibetan children have been moved from Buddhist temples to schools.