(8 Sep 2009) - This Centre has learned that yesterday morning more than 300 Muslims demonstrated in front of the Nanjing city government building, calling for "No discrimination against ethnic minorities." Several hundred riot police were on the scene, but there were no clashes. An official of the head office of the Nanjing city government confirmed for this Centre that the demonstration did take place. Also, yesterday in Wenzhou Muslims issued an open letter calling on the government of Wenzhou city to return the property of a mosque.

This Centre has learned that since the "syringe" incidents in Xinjiang, discrimination against Muslims has increased greatly in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. There has been a sharp increase in people staying far away from Muslims on buses, taxi drivers refusing to pick up Muslim passengers, and in particular during Ramadan, people eating and drinking with enthusiasm in front of Muslim personages and mosques. Yesterday morning 300 Muslims wearing white garments and white hats demonstrated in front of the Nanjing city government building. Attached to the front of their garments was the slogan, "Government must stress integrity" [ jiang cheng xin ], and on the back, "No discrimination against ethnic minorities." Several hundred riot police were on the scene, but there were no bloody clashes. An official of the head office of the Nanjing city government confirmed for this Centre that the demonstration did take place. An official surnamed Yang at Nanjing's Bureau of Nationalities and Religions also confirmed the demonstration. The demonstration lasted for five hours, and then broke up peacefully.

Yesterday the "entire body of believers in Islam in Wenzhou" issued an open letter calling on the government to return the property of a mosque. The open letter indicated that the building at 55 Jiaoxiang Lane used to be a mosque, but it has been occupied [ zhan yong; original letter reads ba zhan, occupied by force] by others, leaving the Islamic faithful nowhere to conduct their religious activities. The letter also said Wenzhou has no Islamic clergy. The letter noted that recently netizens have been expressing implacable hatred towards the petty thieves in Xinjiang, but if there were a religious venue such as a mosque, and clergy, they could play a very good role in persuading this particular group. For that reason, they call on the city government to approve the restoration of the mosque as quickly as possible.

Source: Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Hong Kong, in Chinese 8 Sep 09