A recent report on the oppression of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang reveals that within a span of just three years, thousands of mosques in the region have been either damaged or completely destroyed, resulting in fewer remaining than at any time since the Cultural Revolution.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) conducted an extensive data project that employed satellite imagery and on-the-ground reporting to document the ongoing construction of detention camps and the deliberate demolition of cultural and religious sites in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
The ASPI study contradicts the Chinese government’s claims of over 24,000 mosques in Xinjiang and its professed commitment to protecting and respecting religious beliefs. The findings estimate that fewer than 15,000 mosques are currently standing, with more than half of them having sustained various degrees of damage.
According to the report, this is the lowest number of standing mosques since the Cultural Revolution, during which fewer than 3,000 mosques survived. The report indicates that roughly two-thirds of the region’s mosques have been affected, and approximately 50% of culturally significant sites have been damaged or razed, including the complete destruction of the ancient Ordam mazar shrine, which has been a pilgrimage site dating back to the 10th century.
Between 2017 and the time of the report, an estimated 30% of the mosques had been demolished, and another 30% had suffered damage, including the removal of architectural elements like minarets or domes. While many of these sites remained as vacant lots, some were repurposed as roads, parking areas, or for agricultural use.
Certain mosques were razed to the ground and subsequently rebuilt at significantly reduced sizes, including Kashgar’s Grand Mosque, originally constructed in 1540 and previously granted the second-highest level of historic protection by Chinese authorities.
This article is based on information from THE GUARDIAN
