08/20/2018
China is trying to prevent pilgrimages to Mecca
Muslims as public enemies – China places Muslims under suspicion – GPS-systems to monitor pilgrims (Press Release)
Pilgrims from China are forced to wear a collar with a GPS-chip and a QR code. Thus, they can be tracked by means of an app – which lists their name, address, a photo, and current location. Picture: STP
The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) accuses the Chinese government of trying to keep Muslim citizens from going on pilgrimages to Mecca – as Muslims are generally under suspicion of being enemies of the state. “Fewer and fewer Muslims from China are allowed to go on pilgrimage visits – and the Uyghur people are being brainwashed,” criticized Ulrich Delius, the STP’s director, in Göttingen on Monday. “In addition, pilgrims from China are forced to wear a collar with a GPS-chip and a QR code. Thus, they can be tracked by means of an app – which lists their name, address, a photo, and current location. This is inhumane and a serious violation of the religious freedom guaranteed by the Chinese constitution. Thus, China’s Muslims are treated as second-class citizens. “The systematic and comprehensive monitoring of all Muslims is not only to be seen as a violation of their freedom of movement and religion, it is also an attack on their human dignity.
The Islamic Association of China justifies the GPS tracking systems for pilgrims by expressing concern for their safety. Thus, the systems could keep members of travel groups from getting lost. According to the STP, many pilgrims who traveled to Mecca in recent years reported that there are hundreds of state security officials monitoring the pilgrims during their trip – in order to prevent any criticism against the regime.
While 14,500 Muslims were allowed to travel to Mecca in 2016, the Chinese authorities reduced the number of pilgrims to 12,800 in the following year. In 2018, only 11,500 Chinese citizens were allowed to travel to Mecca – and there are especially strict conditions for Uyghur citizens. They must be at least 60 years old and have to submit a written application to the leaders of the Communist Party. Also, only one member of a family can go on a pilgrimage at the same time.
Of the 23 million Muslims in China, the approximately ten million Uyghurs are the second largest population group – after the Hui. However, according to estimates, only about 1,400 Uyghurs from the Peoples Republic were allowed to travel to Mecca in 2017.
