After radical modification and what is being called as “sinicisation", China's last major mosque - which once had Arabic-style architectural features - has now lost its domes and minarets, according to a report published in The Guardian.

After radical modification and what is being called as “sinicisation", China's last major mosque - which once had Arabic-style architectural features - has now lost its domes and minarets, according to a report published in The Guardian. China’s grandest mosque, the Grand Mosque of Shadian, is located in a small town in southwestern Yunnan province. Till last year, the 21,000 square metre complex was a large building with a tiled green dome at the top which was adorned with a crescent moon. Four long minarets and two small domes flanked the big dome. Also Read: Taiwan slams China for 'blatant provocation' after Beijing's military drills around self-ruled island ends However, in the latest photographs, the dome appears to have been replaced with a Han Chinese-style pagoda rooftop, as per the report. Also, the heights of minarets have been decreased and they have been converted into pagoda towers. It has also been reported that there is a faint trace of the crescent moon and star tiles. China's 'Sinification of Islam' Nearly 100 miles from Shadian, another landmark mosque of Yunnan was also renovated recently and its Arabic features were removed. The Chinese government in 2018 published a five-year plan on the “sinification of Islam”. A part of the plan was to resist “foreign architectural styles” and to promote “Islamic architecture … that is full of Chinese characteristics”. In a leaked memo of the Chinese Communist party, it was seen that local authorities were asked to “adhere to the principle of demolishing more and building less”. Watch: China-Taiwan tensions: Is China preparing to invade Taiwan? Speaking to The Guardian, Anthropologist at Cornell University Ruslan Yusupov said, “Sinification of these two landmark mosques marks the success of the campaign. Even if there are small mosques left of Arab style in villages, it will be difficult for local communities to contest their sinicisation”. Meanwhile, a historian of Islam in China at the University of Plymouth Hannah Theaker said that the mosque sinicisation campaign was moved ahead “province by province”, with Yunnan being the farthest province from the capital. “By 2023, there was a sense among communities that architectural sinicisation would reach the famous Yunnanese mosques, as the last major unsinicised mosques in China," Theaker said. The Grand Mosque of Shadian was first built in the Ming dynasty and destroyed amid the cultural revolution in an uprising which was called the Shadian incident. (With inputs from agencies)

Domes, minarets disappear from China’s last Arabic-style mosque, replaced by pagoda rooftop, towers

China has been removing Arab-style features from mosques while remodelling them to appear more "Chinese".

The "sinicisation" campaign has been playing out in Xining also known as&nbsp;Sining.

The area is the capital of Qinghai&nbsp;province in China which is home to&nbsp;Hui Muslims. They comprise at least 16 per cent of Xining's population.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-white-paper-claims-rise-in-uyghur-population-in-xinjiang-416308">Also Read:&nbsp;</a><a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/chinas-white-paper-claims-rise-in-uyghur-population-in-xinjiang-416308" hreflang="en">China's white paper claims rise in Uyghur population in Xinjiang</a>

The Hui Muslims are among the 55 ethnic groups recognised by China and they form the biggest Muslim population in the country.

They are nearly 10.5 million strong and are China's third-largest ethnic group. The members of the community are not persecuted the way Uyghurs are by Chinese authorities since their version of Islam is reportedly compatible with Chinese concepts and practices.

Watch&nbsp;| Gravitas: The 'Sinicisation' of Mosques in China

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-the-sinicisation-of-mosques-in-china-423988/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

It is portrayed as inherently "Chinese" and not as a foreign influence. The community speaks Chinese and even tries&nbsp;to look and act like the Chinese people.

However, Beijing has been pushing for more. It wants to eliminate whatever remains of their Islamic identity. The intolerance now extends to Islamic architecture.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-using-predictive-policing-on-uyghur-muslims-in-xinjiang-report-422494">Also Read |&nbsp;China using predictive policing on Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang</a>

A 700-year-old Dongguan mosque in Xining famous for its green and white dome accompanied by two tall minarets have now disappeared.

The 14th century mosque has undergone a complete renovation. It now resembles a Communist party office.&nbsp;China had revamped the mosque throughout the year as it forcefully demolished the dome and tore down the minarets in the name of integration and national unity.

The Hui Muslims have no choice but to agree as any form of protest could mean imprisonment or a term at one of the&nbsp;"re-education camps".

Another mosque in the same city has also been remodelled. The domes, minarets and Arabic calligraphy have been replaced by Chinese text and architecture similar to what had happened to the Jiaman mosque in the city of Kira. It was once a prominent centre of prayer for Muslims. However, now it is hidden behind high walls of the Communist party propaganda with no indication that it was ever a religious site.

The Weizhou grand mosque in Ningxia has been completely "sinicised". The domes and minarets of the mosque have been replaced with tiled pagodas and Islamic calligraphy has been replaced with Chinese writings.

Xinjiang has been the biggest victim of the "sinicisation" campaign. It is the most militarised region in the country. The pandemic provided China with an opportunity to further strengthen its control over the province.

The region is now cut off from the rest of the world. Last Thursday a group of 43 UN member nations had issued a statement calling upon China to allow "immediate, meaningful and unfettered" access to Xinjiang.

The member states asked Chinese authorities to let independent observers visit the place including the United Nations high commissioner for human rights. The statement was signed by the UK, US, France and Germany.

"We thus call on China to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the UN high commissioner for human rights," it said.

However, China hasn't responded. It has denied allegations of human rights abuses and said it has been politicised by western nations.

"The US and a few other countries are desperately trying to cover up their own terrible human rights record but the world sees it clearly," Zhang Jun, Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, said.

China has been removing Arab-style features from mosques while remodelling them to appear more "Chinese". The "sinicisation" campaign has been playing out in Xining also known as Sining.

China has been removing Arab-style features from mosques while remodelling them to appear more "Chinese". The "sinicisation" campaign has been playing out in Xining also known as Sining. The area is the capital of Qinghai province in China which is home to Hui Muslims. They comprise at least 16 per cent of Xining's population. Also Read: China's white paper claims rise in Uyghur population in Xinjiang The Hui Muslims are among the 55 ethnic groups recognised by China and they form the biggest Muslim population in the country. They are nearly 10.5 million strong and are China's third-largest ethnic group. The members of the community are not persecuted the way Uyghurs are by Chinese authorities since their version of Islam is reportedly compatible with Chinese concepts and practices. Watch | Gravitas: The 'Sinicisation' of Mosques in China It is portrayed as inherently "Chinese" and not as a foreign influence. The community speaks Chinese and even tries to look and act like the Chinese people. However, Beijing has been pushing for more. It wants to eliminate whatever remains of their Islamic identity. The intolerance now extends to Islamic architecture. Also Read | China using predictive policing on Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang A 700-year-old Dongguan mosque in Xining famous for its green and white dome accompanied by two tall minarets have now disappeared. The 14th century mosque has undergone a complete renovation. It now resembles a Communist party office. China had revamped the mosque throughout the year as it forcefully demolished the dome and tore down the minarets in the name of integration and national unity. The Hui Muslims have no choice but to agree as any form of protest could mean imprisonment or a term at one of the "re-education camps". Another mosque in the same city has also been remodelled. The domes, minarets and Arabic calligraphy have been replaced by Chinese text and architecture similar to what had happened to the Jiaman mosque in the city of Kira. It was once a prominent centre of prayer for Muslims. However, now it is hidden behind high walls of the Communist party propaganda with no indication that it was ever a religious site. The Weizhou grand mosque in Ningxia has been completely "sinicised". The domes and minarets of the mosque have been replaced with tiled pagodas and Islamic calligraphy has been replaced with Chinese writings. Xinjiang has been the biggest victim of the "sinicisation" campaign. It is the most militarised region in the country. The pandemic provided China with an opportunity to further strengthen its control over the province. The region is now cut off from the rest of the world. Last Thursday a group of 43 UN member nations had issued a statement calling upon China to allow "immediate, meaningful and unfettered" access to Xinjiang. The member states asked Chinese authorities to let independent observers visit the place including the United Nations high commissioner for human rights. The statement was signed by the UK, US, France and Germany. "We thus call on China to allow immediate, meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the UN high commissioner for human rights," it said. However, China hasn't responded. It has denied allegations of human rights abuses and said it has been politicised by western nations. "The US and a few other countries are desperately trying to cover up their own terrible human rights record but the world sees it clearly," Zhang Jun, Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, said.

China removes domes, minarets from mosques, pushes 'sinicisation'

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Domes, minarets disappear from China’s last Arabic-style mosque, replaced by pagoda rooftop, towers

China removes domes, minarets from mosques, pushes 'sinicisation'