As per recent news reports, China has been demolishing the mosques and shrines in its province Xinjiang. The ancient shrines and mosques were a point of gathering for many pilgrims who visited the place to pray together. The shrine has now completely been erased and a few remains lie at the same location.

The justification provided by officials in China was that since the architectural structure of the mosques was not in line with Chinese heritage and culture, the dome and minarets of the mosques have been removed. However, it cannot be ignored that the number of religious places belonging to Muslims that have been destroyed in the Chinese province are very high.

It is being stated that the anti-Muslim steps taken by China stem from a desire to forcefully absorb the unique identity of Muslim minorities.

According to The New York Times, “The effort to close off and erase these sites is part of China’s broader campaign to turn the region’s Uighurs, Kazakhs and members of other Central Asian ethnic groups into loyal followers of the Communist Party. The assimilation drive has led to the detention of hundreds of thousands in indoctrination centers.”

Muslims residing in China are shocked by the recent eradication of religious sites and have said, “It’s like a part of our flesh, our body, is being removed.”

As soon as the news was shared on several social media platforms, people highlighted the importance of values like coexistence and tolerance

They stated that for the sake of world peace, people should learn to respect the differences and the cultures of other nations.

There were shocked at the criminal silence of the world and said that nothing could be expected in terms of condemnation or a step by international bodies

Source: nytimes.com

People demanded the United Nations to finally wake up and address the issue in China

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Cover image via nytimes.com