Uighur rights activist Ilham Tohti said that placing the flag over the mihrab, a niche in the mosque that points the direction of Mecca was an attempt to “dilute the religious environment”. Misguided efforts to integrate ethnic Muslims in the province have more or less had the opposite effect, with authorities clamping down on what they see as Muslim terrorists.
Clashes between the majority Han Chinese and Uighurs have intensified over recent months, with reports of police squads executing men deemed to be part of a global pro-independence network of terrorist cells. Little evidence has been found of any such connection, but central government would be keen to play down the idea that Uighurs are just unhappy with the CCP running things. The terrorist threat masquerade allows the Politburo to placate worries of anti-Islamic sentiment, especially in Pakistan, as Chinese state owned enterprises make more and more investments in Muslim majority countries.
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