China destroying mosques, erasing Islamic identity from Xinjiang: Report

Hundreds of mosques and Islamic religious sites have been destroyed by China in recent years as Beijing aims to wipe out the Islamic culture associated with Xinjiang province and forcibly assimilate Uighurs into their Han Chinese culture, a report by The Economist said.

The World Uyghur Congress reacted to the report, citing the report’s findings.

“Most Uighurs have been practicing Islam since the 16th century. But China has no interest in this later period. Instead, the authorities are trying to wipe it out. In recent years they have destroyed hundreds of mosques and Muslim places of worship across China. [East Turkistan]”, wrote the WUC post on X.

“Most Uighurs have been practicing Islam since the 16th century. But China has no interest in this later period. Instead, the authorities are trying to wipe it out. In recent years they have destroyed hundreds of mosques and Muslim places of worship across China. [East Turkistan],https://t.co/VSgcrwEGTW

— World Uyghur Congress (@UyghurCongress) July 15, 2024

The report, titled ‘China is using archaeology as a weapon’, details how the state is finding ancient justifications for its rule over Xinjiang

China has destroyed hundreds of mosques and Muslim shrines in Xinjiang. There is no trace of Islam in the museum in Kashgar, except to claim that Islam was imposed on Xinjiang and that Uighurs are “not Muslim by nature”.

The report cites a Buddhist stupa in Kashgar, an oasis city in the far western region of Xinjiang. The stupa and a temple next to it were probably built about 1,700 years ago and abandoned a few centuries later. Chinese archaeologists began excavating the site in 2019. They have unearthed stone tools, copper coins and fragments of a Buddha statue.

Archaeologists also claim that they have found clear evidence that Xinjiang has been part of China since ancient times.

The report cites official statements claiming that the artifacts found in the Mo’er Temple are similar to those excavated thousands of miles away in the east, in areas dominated by China’s majority ethnic group, the Han. Parts of the temple were built in the “Han Buddhist” style. And its architectural features suggest it was visited by Xuanzang, a famous 7th-century monk from central China. he/she is known for spreading Buddhism in the country.

“These claims may seem academic, but the Chinese government is using them to justify its brutal rule in Xinjiang,” the report said.

China’s security campaign was at its peak in 2018-19, during which nearly one million Uighurs and other Muslim residents of Xinjiang passed through the camps, where they were forcibly assimilated into Han Chinese culture. Critics accuse China of “cultural genocide.” Authorities say they are trying to stamp out religious extremism.

Moreover, if Xinjiang’s residents have always been Chinese, allegations of forced assimilation make no sense, the report said.

Last month, China held a conference in Kashgar focusing on discoveries made at the Mo’er Temple and other sites.

Pan Yu, head of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, said they prove there is no difference between Xinjiang culture and Chinese culture. he/she said those who criticise China’s policies in the region reveal their “ignorance of history” and are spreading “groundless narratives”.

However, experts believe that China’s statement actually seems ‘suspicious’.

The country’s ancient dynasties occasionally maintained military footholds in what is now Xinjiang, says James Millward of Georgetown University. But their influence was minimal from the 8th century to the early 18th century. Then in 1759 China’s last dynasty, the Qing, conquered the region and turned it into a colony. That’s what the Communist Party inherited when it came to power in 1949.

Sites like the Moer Temple are fascinating, but do little to strengthen China’s claims. They demonstrate the globalizing effect of the Silk Road, a network of trade routes that linked China to central Asia and Europe. Just as money and goods flowed along the road, so did religions like Buddhism, adopting aspects of local cultures along the way. Many of the Uighurs’ ancestors were indeed Buddhists. But that doesn’t mean Xinjiang was culturally or politically part of China. After all, Buddhism originally came from India.

Most Uighurs have been practicing Islam since the 16th century. But China has no interest in this later period. Instead, Beijing authorities are trying to eradicate it.

The ruins in Xinjiang are surrounded by buildings with sloping roof tiles and red gates that mimic Beijing’s Forbidden City. A Han construction worker said the style is appropriate. Buddhist culture is part of Han culture, he/she claimed, and Xinjiang has been part of China for thousands of years, the report said.