The removal of distinctive ‘Arabian-style’ features at the entrance to one of China’s biggest mosques is the latest move in a campaign of forcible assimilation of China’s Muslim minorities.
An anthropologist who interviewed Uighurs in China found different ways in which Chinese authorities used checkpoints, social media and smartphones to identify, categorize and control this group.
Muslims came to China in the 13th century and played an influential role. Tensions have escalated since 9/11, and the global community is largely silent.