Why China’s Hui Muslims fear they’re next to face crackdown on religion

Five times a day, the call to prayer is broadcast from loudspeakers at one of China’s largest mosques, in a small, ethnic Hui town in the southwestern border province of Yunnan (雲南).

Rows of date palms grow in Shadian’s Harmony Square, in front of the prayer hall, while two Chinese-style archway gates, engraved with the characters for “love the country” and “love the religion”, stand on either side of it.

In the late afternoon, swarms of students emerge from a private Islamic college and head towards the mosque to perform their fourth prayer of the day.

Outside, a group of Hui tourists speaking with a northern accent – women in black robes and men in white caps – take turns posing for photographs with the giant mosque behind them.

While the Chinese government has cracked down on religious activities among the Muslim Uygur community in Xinjiang ( 新疆 ), citing the threat of Islamic extremism, ethnic Hui Muslims more closely integrated with Han Chinese society have been able to enjoy much greater religious freedom.

However, growing Islamophobia in China has seen both groups targeted by online attacks at a time when anti-Muslim rhetoric is on the rise across the world.

With the country’s top leaders repeatedly warning of the dangers of radical Islam, increasing levels of online hate speech are fuelling concerns that the heavy controls in Xinjiang could be extended to the Hui community in Yunnan.