China’s Hui mosque protests blamed on ‘reckless’ local officials
The fate of Weizhou’s Grand Mosque remains unclear as calm returns after rare public protest against demolition
A rare public protest by thousands of Hui Muslims this month was caused by local officials’ recklessness, Chinese authorities said on Thursday, without settling concerns a large mosque in the northwestern region would be razed.
The governor of the region of Ningxia and a regional Communist Party official said tensions had died out in the city of Weizhou, where thousands protested in early August to prevent authorities from demolishing the towering Grand Mosque.
The protests were an unusually bold display of resistance against the party’s efforts to dictate how religion is practised.
China delays plan to demolish Weizhou Grand Mosque after protest by Hui Muslims
“The reckless local government actions caused this incident,” said Bai Shangcheng, director general of the regional Communist Party committee’s United Front Work Department, which oversees religious groups, at a news conference in Beijing.
Local officials have been ordered to review the incident and “handle it properly and according to law,” Bai said.
“The situation overall is under control,” he said.
Protest by Chinese Hui Muslims at Weizhou Grand Mosque goes on as sides seek compromise
The Weizhou protest came as faith groups have seen their freedoms shrink as the government seeks to “Sinicize” religions by making the faithful prioritise allegiance to the officially atheist Communist Party.