Uyghurs and other members of the faithful pray during services at the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar in western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, as seen during a government organized visit for foreign journalists on April 19, 2021. Under the weight of official policies, the future of Islam appears precarious in Xinjiang, a remote region facing Central Asia in China's northwest corner.
Abit Qazbay, right, an instructor at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute, and government officials walk through the prayer hall during a government organized visit for foreign journalists at the institute's campus in Urumqi in western China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, on April 22, 2021. Under the weight of official policies, the future of Islam appears precarious in Xinjiang, a remote region facing Central Asia in China's northwest corner.
Under the weight of official policies, the future of Islam appears precarious in Xinjiang, a rugged realm of craggy snow-capped mountains and barren deserts bordering Central Asia. Outside observers say scores of mosques have been demolished, a charge Beijing denies, and locals say the number of worshippers is sinking.
By law, Chinese are allowed to follow Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Roman Catholicism or non-denominational Protestantism. In practice, there are limits. Workers are free to fast, the factory manager said, but they are required to take care of their bodies. If children fast, it's not good for their growth, said the Id Kah mosque's imam.
The authorities obstruct independent reporting in the region, though such measures have recently eased somewhat. AP journalists visiting Xinjiang on their own in recent years have been followed by undercover officers, stopped, interrogated and forced to delete photos or videos. The tree-lined paths of the Id Kah Mosque's grounds are tranquil, and it’s easy to miss the three surveillance cameras keeping watch over whoever comes in. The imam’s father and previous leader of the mosque was killed by extremists in 2014 for his pro-government stance.
“The next generation will accept the Chinese mindset,” he said. “They'll still be called Uyghurs, but their mindset and values will be gone.”
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