1/ What about the number of mosques? Outlets like @CGTNOfficial and apologists have been recycling the official number of mosques in Xinjiang in hopes that it is uncritically consumed. Mosques in Xinjiang are: carefully controlled/monitored, many are deserted, and some destroyed

2/ we know that minors, college students, and anyone who is employed by the government cannot attend mosque, so who can and what may their experiences be like?

3/ Early fanghuiju manuals (i.e., before accelerated mass incarcerations) instructed minority cadres, “baocun” officials [i.e. appointed by higher level gov’t], village police, & village cadres to visit local mosques on jume (Friday communal prayer) to understand their situation.

4/ Meanwhile, clerics were required to attend weekly meetings where they were briefed on gov’t policy and reminded that they are responsible for spreading information about CCP religious policy, the law, and correct faith.

5/ Work teams are to be on the constant look-out for potential problems: is the percentage of elderly performing the morning prayer over 85%; is the percentage of [legally able] men attending jume prayer over 30%; if this number is high, is the imam “extreme” in his views...

5b/ ... con't. who are the individuals who wear sällä (turban); did last week’s khutbah align with the one issued by the Islamic Association of China?

6/ Urban areas, like this one in Khotan, can monitor mosque activities using centralized surveillance equipment.

7/ Other areas dispatch work teams to “be on duty” outside of mosque entrances.

8/ By 2016, some work teams noted “adjusted numbers” of local mosques. In this village the number of mosques was “adjusted” from 10 to 4 because of new “concentrated” residential living.

9/ After her 2018 visit to southern Xinjiang, @j_smithfinley noted deserted mosque after deserted mosque and was told that even elderly men are afraid to pray. https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/viewpoint/now-we-dont-talk-anymore

10/ Smith-Finley’s observations are corroborated by Han tourists. In October 2019, a Han tourist noted that mosques were not longer allowed to hold communal worship and the number of mosques were declining annually.

Any response: @CGTNOfficial, @SpokespersonCHN, @zlj517, @AmbLiuXiaoMing @libijian2, @MFA_China, @jerry_grey2002?