All mosques in China must raise national flag, rules country’s Islamic body

Global Times report said that Chinese experts have hailed the move and termed it as progress for religious development.

The China Islamic Association has made it mandatory for all mosques in the country to raise national flag and study socialist core values. According to a report in China’s state-owned agency Global Times, the diktat has been passed in a bid to “strengthen concept of nation” and carry forward “the spirit of patriotism”.

The report said that Chinese experts have hailed the move and termed it as progress for religious development. A letter in this regard was published by the China Islamic Association on its website, asking mosques to raise national flags in prominent positions all the time.

The letter also calls for mosques to study socialist core values, Chinese culture, and the Constitution of the country. It further says that there must be classes on law in mosques so that religious activities of Muslims can be conducted in accordance with the norms.

Global Times reported that some mosques have already started following the norm. In the autonomous region of Ningxia Hui in northwest China, some mosques raised national flag on Friday last itself.

"Flags have been raised at all 69 religious sites - including Christian churches and Buddhist temples - in the city of Lanxi in East China's Zhejiang Province to "have patriotism guide devotion to religions," according to the website of the Zhejiang Province ethnic and religious affairs committee," said the Global Times report.

While some raised objection on the same citing Chinese laws that politics and religion should be kept alienated, experts countered the argument saying national flag was about the country and not politics, hence, the move should be implemented.