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Chinese authorities deny destroying thousands of mosques in Xinjiang

aronexxonPosted for Everyone to comment on, 4 years ago2 min read

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China's Foreign Ministry strongly denied a report by the Australian think-tank that said the Chinese authorities destroyed thousands of mosques in the Xinjiang region. China called the report a "slanderous rumor".

A report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) released on Thursday (9/24) local time said that around 16,000 mosques in Xinjiang had been destroyed or damaged as a result of Chinese government policies, mostly since 2017. The report was based on a number of images satellites and on a sample of 900 religious sites before 2017, including mosques, temples and sacred sites.

As reported by Reuters on Saturday (9/26/2020), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin commented on the ASPI report in a press conference on Friday (9/25) local time.

Wang called the report "just rumors full of slander." It was also mentioned by Wang that ASPI received foreign funding to "support a decoction of lies against China". Furthermore, Wang repeated his previous claim about the existence of more than 24 thousand mosques in the Xinjiang region.

If we look at the number, there are more than 24 thousand mosques in Xinjiang, which is 10 times more than in the US (United States), Wang claimed in a press conference. That means there is one mosque for every 530 Muslim citizens in Xinjiang, which means more mosques per capita than many Muslim countries, "he added.

China is under criticism for its treatment of its Muslim Uighur ethnic minority and for alleged forced labor in Xinjiang. The United Nations (UN), which cites credible reports, says 1 million Muslims are being held in camps for employment.

Chinese authorities deny persecuting Uighurs and claim camps in Xinjiang as vocational training centers needed to tackle extremism.

So hopefully useful information.

@ aronexxon

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