Weizhou Grand Mosque
| Weizhou Grand Mosque | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
韦州清真大寺 | |||||||
 The entrance and minaret of the old Weizhou mosque during the 1930s | |||||||
| Religion | |||||||
| Affiliation | Sunni Islam | ||||||
| Mosque | |||||||
| Status | Active | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
| Location | Wuzhong, Ningxia | ||||||
| Country | China | ||||||
| Architecture | |||||||
| Type | Mosque | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 韦州清真大寺 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 韋州清真大寺 | ||||||
| |||||||
The Weizhou Grand Mosque (simplified Chinese: 韦州清真大寺; traditional Chinese: 韋州清真大寺; pinyin: Wéizhōu Qīngzhēndàsì) is a mosque in Tongxin County, Wuzhong City, in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China. Plans to demolish the mosque led to widespread protests in 2018 and 2019.
History
[edit]Weizhou's old mosque was constructed during the Ming Dynasty in the traditional Chinese palatial style. The mosque was expanded and renovated three times during the Qing dynasty and the Republican era.[1] It was named by the American Episcopal missionary Charles L. Pickens, Jr., who traveled to western China in the 1920s-1930s. He documented many places and peoples and remarked the place as "one of the most beautiful in all China."[2]
The mosque was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s.[3][4][5]
Reconstruction and proposed demolition
[edit]Reconstruction began in 2015, with plans approved by local authorities.[6] After the renovation was finished, the scale of the mosque was bigger than the standards.[7] Chinese officials claimed that the mosque was expanded beyond the plans approved, in an Islamic rather than Chinese architectural style.
On 3 August 2018 Ningxia officials stated that the mosque would be forcibly demolished within days because the appropriate permits were not issued, before construction.[8][7][9] Local officials were criticized by the Commission for Discipline Inspection of Wuzhong City in May for their lack of supervision during the mosque's renovations.
A local Chinese Communist Party document mentioned that the Weizhou Grand Mosque had to be demolished since it was carrying out illegal extensions since 2016.[10] Officials in the town were saying the mosque had not been given proper building permits, because it is built in the Middle Eastern architectural style.[8][7][9] The residents were alarmed by this and helped stopped the destruction of the mosque.[7][9]
Incident
[edit]According to Reuters, the Ningxia officials' "forcibly demolished" notice was shared online among the ethnic Hui Muslim community and, in a rare demonstration against the Chinese government, thousands of ethnic Hui Muslims had gathered at the mosque location to protest its planned demolition.[8][7] However, shared videos on social media showed large crowds gathered outside the Grand Mosque in the town of Weizhou to protect it.[7] The Hui are the largest of the 10 Muslim minority groups within China, and speak a variation of Mandarin—the language spoken by China's majority Han ethnic group.[10]
According to the Hong Kong–based South China Morning Post, the main question of protesters was: "why the authorities had not stopped construction of the mosque during its two years of construction, if it had not been granted relevant permits?"[8][10]
An official from the local Islamic Association told Reuters that the mosque would not be demolished entirely; only fixes on the building structure were to be made.[8][10] The Associated Press news agency reported that the Muslim community would not accept this proposal.[8] Documents show that Hui protesters grouped at the Weizhou mosque and carried Chinese national flags that expressed support for the Communist Party.[10]
Reactions
[edit]Stephen McDonell, the BBC's China correspondent, reported: "For centuries Hui Muslim mosques were built in a more Chinese style, but the local government considered the Grand Mosque in the town of Weizhou as an example of a growing Arabic architecture between Chinese Muslim."[8][10]
According to ABC News, many Weibo users in China were agreeing with the pulling down of the mosque.[10]
A group of American lawmakers publicly asked the United States government to engage in more sanctions on Xinjiang, especially against key Chinese officials and politicians who had a role in demolishing the mosque.[11]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ↑ Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman (2015). China's Early Mosques. Edinburgh University Press. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-7486-7041-3.
- ↑ "Weichow, Ningsia. Entrance and minaret of mosque". Historical Photographs of China.
- ↑ "Hui mosque protest ends after official vows to consult community". South China Morning Post. August 14, 2018.
- ↑ "Thousands of Muslims protest against the demolition of the Weizhou Grand Mosque". www.asianews.it.
- ↑ "Chinese Hui Muslims continue protest at Weizhou Grand Mosque". South China Morning Post. August 10, 2018.
- ↑ "Plans to demolish Weizhou Grand Mosque in China put on hold". South China Morning Post. August 12, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Osborne, Samuel (August 10, 2018). "Thousands of Muslims protest China's plans to demolish mosque in rare demonstration against government". The Independent. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "China mosque demolition sparks standoff in Ningxia". BBC News. August 10, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- 1 2 3 Martina, Michael (August 10, 2018). "Chinese Muslims protest against plan to demolish mosque". Reuters. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Walsh, Michael; Li, wires, Michael (August 11, 2018). "Chinese Muslims surround mosque to prevent demolition amid Beijing push to control religion". abc.net.au. ABC News. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
- ↑ Doffman, Zak (April 6, 2019). "China 'Destroying' Mosques As U.S. Senators Urge Americans To Stop Funding Xinjiang". forbes.com. Forbes. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
