Thousands protest at mosque in China

Thousands of Muslims have gathered at a mosque in China to protest its planned demolition.

The demonstration was a rare, public rebellion to the government’s efforts to rewrite how religions are practised in the country. A large crowd of Hui people, a Muslim ethnic minority, began congregating at the towering Grand Mosque in the town of Weizhou.

The protest comes as faith groups that were largely tolerated in the past have seen their freedoms shrink as the government seeks to “Sinicize” 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.

The residents of Weizhou were alarmed by news the government was planning to demolish the mosque despite initially appearing to approve its construction, completed last year.