China removes domes, minarets from famous mosque; bars visitors

The images show stark contrast in the mosque's appearance after "renovations" and the removal of its bright green domes and minarets.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | November 3, 2020 02:31 PM IST

2 min read

The bright green domes are gone. The golden minarets, structurally altered. Where once stood the famous Nanguan Mosque, a popular tourist attraction in China’s Ningxia province, now stands a building without any traces of its Islamic origin.

The whitewashing of the religious structure came to light when Christina Scott, United Kingdom’s Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in China, was surprised to find the mosque has been replaced during a recent visit.

Shared the before and after images of the Nanguan Mosque on Twitter, she wrote: “Domes, minarets, all gone. No visitors allowed either, of course. So depressing.”

According to the Telegraph, this was not the first instance where Islamic structures have been stripped of their architecture. Countless other mosques in the neighbouring Linxia in Gansu province met with a similar fate.

This is being seen as China’s attempt to suppress religious freedom. Recently, its treatment of the Uighur Muslim population residing in the north-western Xinjiang province was met with severe global criticism. According to an Amnesty International report, China detained and indoctrinated thousands of Uighurs in detention camps and suppressed their basic freedoms and human rights.

Since then several nations including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia among others have raised their voice against China’s human right abuses.

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