Clashes between Cops, Worshippers as Chinese Govt Tries to Demolish Centuries-Old Mosque

Police clashed with residents of a majority-Muslim town in China’s Yunnan province over the weekend as they tried to halt the demolition of a domed roof from a centuries-old mosque, CNN-News18 said.

Police officers in riot gear beat back a group of demonstrators toward the gate of the Najiaying Mosque in Tonghai County as they protested the government’s move. The mosque is a revered place of worship for the Mandarin-speaking ethnic Hui Muslims living in Yunnan, videos shared on social media showed.

Police were later seen retreating from the area as demonstrators staged a sit-in outside the mosque gate.

A court judgement pronounced in 2020 ruled that some of the mosque’s recently undertaken renovations were illegal and ordered their demolition.

Following the clashes, local mobile phone service was cut off signalling that there is a possibility of crackdown.

Tonghai County police asked those involved to surrender themselves before June 6 if they wanted a lighter punishment.

The Najiaying Mosque dates back to the 13th century and was built during the Ming Dynasty. The mosque was expanded on several occasions and in 2019 one part of the mosque was declared ‘protected’ for cultural reasons.

China has clamped down on the religious and faithful with more vigour under the rule of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi has demanded that religious communities should remain loyal to the Communist Party of China (CPC). Xi has also intensified the surveillance of religious leaders.

China this month launched a database of religious teachers officially approved by their respective communities. The database includes details of approved Islamic, Protestant and Catholic religious teachers.

China has clamped down on Islam and Christianity because it fears that these religions can be agents of foreign influence. It has restricted international exchanges and donations and remodelled buildings which did not appear ‘Chinese’.

Hui Muslims in Yunnan were not as affected as Uyghurs in Xinjiang but the recent clashes show that the crackdown will impact several religious communities.

Hui Muslims, according to a report by the Washington Post, also were spared the excesses of the Cultural Revolution launched by former Chinese president Mao Zedong, as Hui Muslims cooperated with the government but the recent clashes show that the space for cooperation could be shrinking.