The Communist Chinese government continues to demolish mosques in East Turkestan.

Satellite images show that many mosques in the country have been demolished and turned into parks and gardens by Chinese administration in East Turkestan.

Since 2017, 36 historical mosques across East Turkestan have been demolished by China. After the demolition of the mosques, they are turned into public spaces.

Bayram Mosque [Idgah masjid] in the city ​​of Hotan was turned into a parking lot after all traces of the historical building were erased.

In order to enter the only mosque in Hoten, where the Communist Party government approves worship, it is necessary to pass metal detectors under police supervision.

In the city of Kashgar, one of the centers of the Old Silk Road, the call to prayer is no longer readable.

The central mosque and dozens of small mosques in Atush, north of Kashgar, in Kizilsu province of East Turkestan, have also been destroyed.

All mosques throughout the region are being monitored by cameras.

It is obligatory to keep restaurants open during the day during Ramadan. Western journalists who go to the region say that Ramadan is not felt throughout East Turkestan.

The Chinese government is carrying out large-scale repression of Uighur Muslims. The authorities have sent many to political education camps in Xinjiang.

In addition to singing propaganda songs and learning Mandarin Chinese, which is not their native language, Muslims are forbidden from saying "As-Salaam-Alaikum, [an Islamic greeting, meaning "peace be unto you"] and must say hello in Mandarin instead said Professor Darren Byler, from Washington University Uighur research department.

"If they resist, or officials deem they have failed their lessons, they are punished. They may be subjected to solitary confinement, not be allowed to eat for a certain period, or required to stand for 24-hour periods, among other punishments."

The political education camps are just one part of the crackdown. Turkic Muslims are also being held in detention centers and prisons. Official figures suggest a three-fold increase in formal arrests in Xinjiang in the past five years.

The repression also has an impact outside of China. Many ethnic Uighurs and Kazakhs live abroad, and the crackdown has been tearing families apart.

Some family members may be held in Xinjiang and cannot leave because authorities have confiscated their passports, or they have been detained, and the other part of the family is outside of China. People have not been able to communicate with each other.  

According to international independent organizations, 3 million Muslims are held in concentration camps throughout East Turkestan. It is stated that those who are taken to the camps are strictly forbidden to worship.

ILKHA