--- description: An investigation by the Guardian and Bellingcat found dozens of demolished sites title: China Destroyed Muslim Sites in Xinjiang, Report Says image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a2f69e338ae70bf/69894992656a3f4b80bd7155/xinjiang-china-destroyed-mosques.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [China](/tag/china/) ## China Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # China Destroyed Mosques and Other Muslim Sites in Xinjiang, Report Says ## Video: China Denounces Xinjiang ‘concentration camp’ accusation by the U.S. [Watch (HLS stream): China Denounces Xinjiang ‘concentration camp’ accusation by the U.S.](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IGMn04zW.m3u8) (0:25)  _Published 2019-05-07. China Denounces Xinjiang ‘concentration camp’ accusation by the U.S._ by [Amy Gunia](/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. May 7, 2019 7:17 AM CUT  Mosque in the demolished old town of Kashgar, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China on Sept. 23, 2012. Mosque in the demolished old town of Kashgar, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China on Sept. 23, 2012.Eric Lafforgue—Corbis/Getty Images by [Amy Gunia](/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. May 7, 2019 7:17 AM CUT New research suggests that China may have undertaken [large-scale destruction of Islamic sites](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/07/revealed-new-evidence-of-chinas-mission-to-raze-the-mosques-of-xinjiang "undefined") in its western Xinjiang province, where Muslim minorities such as Uighurs live under severely repressive rule. The _Guardian_ and open-source journalism website Bellingcat used satellite imagery to examine 91 religious sites identified by people who used to live in the northwestern province, finding that 31 mosques and two major shrines showed significant structural damage between 2016 and 2018. Of those, 15 structures were “completely or almost completely razed.” Others had defining features like domes or minarets removed. Nine other buildings used as mosques that did not have obvious mosque-like features were also destroyed, according to the _Guardian_. The Imam Asim shrine, an important pilgrimage site for Uighurs, and the Kargilik Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the area, were among the buildings destroyed, according to the investigation. The Yutian Aitika mosque near Hotan, a large mosque dating back to the year 1200 where locals gathered for religious holidays, is also reportedly among those demolished. China faces increasing condemnation for its alleged persecution of Muslim minorities. The State Department estimates that between [800,000 to 2 million](https://time.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5561044&action=edit "undefined") Turkic Muslims, including Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and others, are being held in what Beijing calls “re-education camps.” Others call them concentration camps. U.S. officials have [repeatedly denounced](http://time.com/5549519/uighur-brownback-china-religious-repression/ "undefined") the practice. China has defended the detentions as a means of combatting terrorism, and has tried to pass the camps off as “vocational training” centers similar to [“boarding schools.”](http://time.com/5550503/shohrat-zakir-xinjiang-detention-centers-phase-out/ "undefined") **Read More:** [_‘The Chinese Government Is at War With Faith.’ U.S. Official Denounces Religious Crackdown in China_](http://time.com/5549519/uighur-brownback-china-religious-repression/ "undefined") Some experts and former residents believe the Chinese government is destroying religious buildings in a further attempt to wipe out Islamic religious identity in China. “If the current generation, you take away their parents and on the other hand you destroy the cultural heritage that reminds them of their origin… when they grow up, this will be foreign to them,” said a former resident of Hotan, according to the _Guardian_. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5584619/china-xinjiang-destroyed-mosques/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5584619/china-xinjiang-destroyed-mosques/"},"headline":"China Destroyed Mosques and Other Muslim Sites in Xinjiang, Report Says","datePublished":"2019-05-07T07:17:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T23:28:10.965Z","description":"An investigation by the Guardian and Bellingcat found dozens of demolished sites","url":"https://time.com/5584619/china-xinjiang-destroyed-mosques/","keywords":["China","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a2f69e338ae70bf/69894992656a3f4b80bd7155/xinjiang-china-destroyed-mosques.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amy Gunia","jobTitle":"Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong.","url":"https://time.com/author/amy-gunia/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a2f69e338ae70bf/69894992656a3f4b80bd7155/xinjiang-china-destroyed-mosques.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"xinjiang-china-destroyed-mosques","caption":"Xinjiang China Mosques Destroyed","creditText":"Eric Lafforgue—Corbis/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/china/","name":"China"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5584619/china-xinjiang-destroyed-mosques/","name":"China Destroyed Mosques and Other Muslim Sites in Xinjiang, Report Says"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"China Denounces Xinjiang ‘concentration camp’ accusation by the U.S.","description":"China Denounces Xinjiang ‘concentration camp’ accusation by the U.S.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/IGMn04zW/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-05-07T02:26:41.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IGMn04zW.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5584619/china-xinjiang-destroyed-mosques/","duration":"PT25S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5584619/china-xinjiang-destroyed-mosques/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```