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Breaking News - Mosque in Uighur facing demolition for not publicing the Olympic Games

A countryside mosque that has existed for more than 10 years in Aksu Keping County at Uighur Autonomous Region is to be demolished by the authorities with the reason being “illegal missionary activities”. The Uighur human rights organization said that the incident related to the mosque not cooperating with the Olympic publicity of the Chinese Communist Party.
According to the World Uighur Congress spokesman Dilixiati; the Chinese authorities forced all mosques in Uighur to promote the Beijing Olympics, in which a mosque in Kumuli village at Aksu Keping county refused to cooperate and now faces forced demolition.

The news of the removal of this moseque was reported on the Keping government website, it said that the mosque was illegally built on a grazing location in the Kumuli village and conducted illegal religious activities for 10 years. Based on ethnic and religious affairs regulations, the petition regulation, law and order, and religious management of the Keping County, they have proceeded with the qualitative punishment of the Kumuli village personnel, and say that the mosque will be demolishing before 26th of May.

According to local government news, the demolision and removal of the mosque belong to the first phase of corrective punishments focused in Yuer rural areas, and currently the second phase of work is proceeding, including the requirement of the working team in the village to hold a forum or general assembly as a way of education township. The village cadres and the party members are to develop the party’s ethnic and religious policies in batches and stages. They must clearly publish the education and the education rate must be achieved 100%. This is to ensure that the third phase of the work develops according to plan.

A local grass-roots unit cadre acceptting an enquiry on Monday, first denied the incident about the demolition of the mosque, then admitted later, when a reporter asked about the reason for the demolition. The cadre said that religious affairs are very sensitive, it is inappropriate to disclose the details so we can only address to the public that it was illegal.

According to the overseas World Uyghur Congress: More than 10 Uighur people in Aksu County boycotted the official Olympic Games publicity, and were arrested and tortured. A responsible person of a primary school in Keping County said on Monday that the Department of Education had arranged tasks to schools to produce and distribute the Olympic-related pictures.

The above news is brought to you by Lin Jingxi, and hosted by Chris Thomas for Breaking News on the SOH Radio Network.