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China has completely demolished a 11th Century Historical Mosque in it's northern province. Along with 200 others.

  • Thread starter Deleted member 8257
  • Start date

Deleted member 8257

Oct 26, 2017
24,586
This is gaining steam on Twitter after the Notre Dame fire. China has been silently leveling entire Mosques, historical and modern in it's bid to "redesign" the Uighur culture.

Keriya Mosque

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Mosque-1.jpg


Activists on Twitter have recently claimed that China has been destroying historic mosques across Xinjiang province, which is home to a large population of Uighurs, a primarily Muslim minority in China.

By using open sources and satellite imagery we can locate these mosques and check such claims. We can also potentially narrow down when the alleged destruction took place.

The Keriya Aitika Mosque

The first mosque that came to our attention was the Keriya Aitika Mosque, located here. We already know the exact location as the activist who posted about this mosque helpfully included the coordinates in his images. The two images that the activist posted from Google Earth clearly demonstrate that the building depicted has been razed.
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https://www.bellingcat.com/news/res...historic-mosques-in-xinjiang-being-destroyed/

The Guardian: The levelling of ancient sites in Xinjiang, alongside mass detention, is part of an attempt to destroy an entire society

This towering architectural monument, thought to date back to 1237 and extensively renovated in the 1980s and 1990s, was photographed on a festival day in 2016 with thousands of worshippers spilling out on to the streets. By 2018 the site where it had stood was a smooth patch of earth.

Observers have called China's actions in Xinjiang the work of a "bulldozer state". It is an apt way to describe the ongoing work of destruction and remodelling of the region's landscape and its people. Mosques such as the one in Keriya were an early target of the campaign against "religious extremism". A reporter visited the eastern region of Qumul in 2017 and learned from local officials that over 200 of the region's 800 mosques had already been destroyed, with over 500 scheduled for demolition in 2018. Residents said that their local mosques had disappeared overnight, levelled without warning.
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Satellite imagery posted by activists appears to show that the Chinese government is systematically destroying landmark mosques in the Muslim Xinjiang Autonomous region as human rights organizations step up their criticism of Beijing over its abuse of minority Uyghur Muslims in so-called "reeducation camps."

Tweets by two prominent activists show at least two landmark mosques in Xinjiang have been destroyed as evidenced by before-and-after satellite imagery.

Among the destroyed mosques is the 800-year-old Keriya Aitika Mosque in the city of Hotan, which was built in 1237 and inducted to the Chinese Architectural Heritage in late 2017.

Unconfirmed reports also claimed that the Kargilik Mosque was also razed by the Chinese government.

In a report last September, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the Chinese government of a "systematic campaign of human rights violations" against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

According to the 117-page report released by HRW, the government conducted "mass arbitrary detention, torture and mistreatment" of Uighur Turks in the region.

Chinese authorities have repeatedly stated that they are detaining people accused of minor crimes and that they are being held in re-education centers, where they enjoy their time and are 'grateful' to be there. However, personal accounts from former detainees paint an Orwellian picture where Uighurs are prevented from observing their religious duties.

The Uighur people are of Turkic ethnicity, and although they form a majority in the Muslim Xinjiang Autonomous Region, they are a minority in China.
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https://unpo.org/article/21454
 

ThaNotoriousSOD

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
802
This is so sad. I can't believe what China is getting away with when it comes to their Uighur population. Repulsive that it's not getting much attention either.
 
Halbrand

Halbrand

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,625
This may sound very ignorant but I had no idea there was a Muslim presence like that in China that long ago
 
Heshinsi

Heshinsi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,095
What boggles my mind is why China doesn't deal with Hui the same way they do with the Uighur? I get that the Hui are ethnically similar to Han Chinese and that they are culturally similar. Yet this sustained hate towards the Uighur manifesting in their attempt to eradicate their religious beliefs, is odd when they don't do the same to the Hui. Why don't they see the faith of Hui Muslims as a threat the same way they do the Uighur?
 
Sinfamy

Sinfamy

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,724
"Out with the old, in with the new" has been a Chinese motto for over half a century.
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 8257

Oct 26, 2017
24,586
Heshinsi said:
What boggles my mind is why China doesn't deal with Hui the same way they do with the Uighur? I get that the Hui are ethnically similar to Han Chinese and that they are culturally similar. Yet this sustained hate towards the Uighur manifesting in their attempt to eradicate their religious beliefs, is odd when they don't do the same to the Hui. Why don't they see the faith of Hui Muslims as a threat the same way they do the Uighur?
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Hui are ethnically very similar to the Han majority and speak Mandarin. Uighur's are of Turkic origin and speak differently. But,
But the current move to demolish the Ningxia mosque is an indication that the government is now looking to extend control over other Muslim ethnic minorities, says rights group Amnesty International.

Earlier this year, in neighbouring Gansu province, children under 16 in the region of Linxia were banned from religious activities, in a move that alarmed Hui imams.

"It's clear that the Chinese government's hostility towards Muslims in China is not only limited to Uighurs," researcher Patrick Poon told the BBC.

"Hui Muslims are generally considered less vulnerable to crackdowns, but this incident proves that the government is determined to use a holistic and heavy-handed approach towards all Muslim ethnic minorities in China."
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-45140551
 
Sabretooth

Sabretooth

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,072
India
Heshinsi said:
What boggles my mind is why China doesn't deal with Hui the same way they do with the Uighur? I get that the Hui are ethnically similar to Han Chinese and that they are culturally similar. Yet this sustained hate towards the Uighur manifesting in their attempt to eradicate their religious beliefs, is odd when they don't do the same to the Hui. Why don't they see the faith of Hui Muslims as a threat the same way they do the Uighur?
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I'm not very well-versed with China, but to spitball a little bit, I think it has to do with Uighur separatism with the whole East Turkestan thing. The Chinese government is definitely Islamophobic, but it onlly particularly acts when it sees Islam or Islam-related culture as a threat to its national integrity. As far as the Chinese government is concerned, East Turkestan separatism is the same as terrorism and that is the same as native Uighur culture itself.
 
Heshinsi

Heshinsi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,095
RustyNails said:
Hui are ethnically very similar to the Han majority and speak Mandarin. Uighur's are of Turkic origin and speak differently. But,

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-45140551
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Sabretooth said:
I'm not very well-versed with China, but to spitball a little bit, I think it has to do with Uighur separatism with the whole East Turkestan thing. The Chinese government is definitely Islamophobic, but it onlly particularly acts when it sees Islam or Islam-related culture as a threat to its national integrity. As far as the Chinese government is concerned, East Turkestan separatism is the same as terrorism and that is the same as native Uighur culture itself.
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Ok so they still don't like Islam and Muslims, but they're willing to tolerate to an extent groups who are related to them as they believe that they are integrated enough to not pose a separatist threat. Thanks for the explanation you two.
 
Vern

Vern

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
5,097
Shameful stuff. But not surprising.


Not on topic I guess but I'm thinking of going to Xinjiang soon, probably in a week or two because I'll be in western China anyway. I haven't been to Xinjiang since 2017, wonder if I can feel in noticeable change. Last time I was there it definitely felt like a police state, with checkpoints and metal detectors on every street corner, but overall it didn't feel like it was all that invasive for a non Uighur person, it was just something to deal withs while moving about. I wonder if now I'll have to deal with my camera being checked or things like that. Obviously if so it's still not a big deal or comparable to what the Uighur deal with, but just might be interesting to see what has changed from a tourists perspective.
 
KillLaCam

KillLaCam

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,389
Seoul
Heshinsi said:
What boggles my mind is why China doesn't deal with Hui the same way they do with the Uighur? I get that the Hui are ethnically similar to Han Chinese and that they are culturally similar. Yet this sustained hate towards the Uighur manifesting in their attempt to eradicate their religious beliefs, is odd when they don't do the same to the Hui. Why don't they see the faith of Hui Muslims as a threat the same way they do the Uighur?
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The Hui assimilated more aren't really in border regions and don't have a (modern) history of separatism. I think their last separatist movement was in the mid 1800's. The Uighur are treated badly because the same reasons that Tibet is treated how it is. Pretty much every time this happens its because the govt is afraid of separatists.
 
SilentPanda

SilentPanda

Member
Nov 6, 2017
13,851
Earth
Drewton said:
This may sound very ignorant but I had no idea there was a Muslim presence like that in China that long ago
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That part of China used to be part of the silk road, and had more people than just Han Chinese.

And China don't really have the same excuse as Taiwan which has less space due to being a small island nation.

But losing history like this is not good, even if they are the other, is the same as those people that blow up the big Buddha statue
 

Razgreez

Banned
Apr 13, 2018
366
Heshinsi said:
What boggles my mind is why China doesn't deal with Hui the same way they do with the Uighur? I get that the Hui are ethnically similar to Han Chinese and that they are culturally similar. Yet this sustained hate towards the Uighur manifesting in their attempt to eradicate their religious beliefs, is odd when they don't do the same to the Hui. Why don't they see the faith of Hui Muslims as a threat the same way they do the Uighur?
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Are the areas the Hui inhabit fertile and filled with natural resources such as oil and coal?
 
SilentPanda

SilentPanda

Member
Nov 6, 2017
13,851
Earth
KillLaCam said:
The Hui assimilated more aren't really in border regions and don't have a (modern) history of separatism. I think their last separatist movement was in the mid 1800's. The Uighur are treated badly because the same reasons that Tibet is treated how it is. Pretty much every time this happens its because the govt is afraid of separatists.
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And the same guy that was in charge of tibet Chen Quanguo that is using his method that was in Tibet now
 
DosaDaRaja

DosaDaRaja

Member
Oct 26, 2017
963
Heshinsi said:
What boggles my mind is why China doesn't deal with Hui the same way they do with the Uighur? I get that the Hui are ethnically similar to Han Chinese and that they are culturally similar. Yet this sustained hate towards the Uighur manifesting in their attempt to eradicate their religious beliefs, is odd when they don't do the same to the Hui. Why don't they see the faith of Hui Muslims as a threat the same way they do the Uighur?
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My only guess is that they fear Uighurs using religion to rally about, looking at similar separatist movements in Chechnya, Kashmir etc.

Doesn't Xinjiang have a long running separatist movement?
 
KillLaCam

KillLaCam

Prophet of Truth
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Oct 25, 2017
15,389
Seoul
SilentPanda said:
And the same guy that was in charge of tibet Chen Quanguo that is using his method that was in Tibet now
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Wow I didn't realize it was the same person. That actually explains alot.
DosaDaRaja said:
My only guess is that they fear Uighurs using religion to rally about, looking at similar separatist movements in Chechnya, Kashmir etc.

Doesn't Xinjiang have a long running separatist movement?
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There was always some since sepratism since the 1950's but they didn't gain much traction until the Soviet Union collapsed
 
spx54

spx54

Member
Mar 21, 2019
3,273
The fact that a country that commits abhorrent acts like this could be a world hegemon should really scare the shit out of people.
 
Kasumin

Kasumin

Member
Nov 19, 2017
1,947
spx54 said:
the next superpower is a country that throws muslims in internment camps and has 1984 style surveillance capabilities

welp
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Meanwhile, the US continues to slide into irrelevance as the current regime retreats from the international stage and damages the country in other ways. The US isn't necessarily a force for good, but shit, it at least used to do good PR for human rights internationally.

China outright detests the concept. It's chilling to think about.
 
Conal

Conal

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
2,868
Even if I hated the people who worshiped there, I can't imagine demolishing something so beautiful.
 
Excuse me

Excuse me

Member
Oct 30, 2017
2,023
Bellingcat is yet again doing great work. Hopefully this stirs up some international attention... but even that won't help, Chinese gov. will keep doing it's shit.
 
orochi91

orochi91

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,840
Canada
What's Turkey's response to this, since these are their own people/kin being oppressed?

Or even Pakistan's, considering they are China's #1 ally?

Those two have powerful militaries and Turkey in particular has international clout.

What is the Muslim world's response to these atrocities?
 
The Living Tribunal

The Living Tribunal

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,203
Fucking savages is what they are. So many years of history destroyed in the name of cultural and racial homogeneity, disgusting.
 
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