Video of a Turkish Minaret Being Demolished is Unrelated to China
The Claim
#China classified #Islam as a mental illness and demolished mosques and turned them into health facilities and public libraries.
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Emerging story
Recently, social media users extensively circulated a video clip purporting to show China demolishing a mosque after labeling Islam as a mental illness.
The controversial Islam critic, Salwan Momika, shared the video on the X platform, alleging that "China classified Islam as a mental illness and demolished mosques and turned them into health facilities and public libraries."
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating footage and found the claim to be misleading.
After conducting a thorough reverse image search, Misbar’s team found the video making the rounds to be outdated and unrelated to China.
The Video Shows a Mosque Minaret Being Demolished in Turkey After Earthquake
Contrary to claims on social media, the video was not shot recently in China. The original video, uploaded to TikTok on February 23, 2023, shows the demolition of a mosque's minaret in Turkey following an earthquake.
The original video's caption states, “DEMOLITION OF GÖKOGLU MOSQUE WITH DAMAGED MINARET.” Misbar's team investigated and confirmed that Turkey demolished the damaged minaret of the Gökoğlu Mosque in Seyhan, in the Turkish province of Adana, after the 2023 earthquake.
Misbar’s investigative team found another video uploaded to YouTube in February 2023, showing the same scene of the demolition of the Gökoğlu Mosque’s minaret from a different angle.
Gökoğlu Mosque's Minaret Demolition Injured Individuals
According to local Turkish reports, the demolition of the Gökoğlu Mosque's minaret, damaged by the earthquakes in Adana Seyhan, resulted in injuries due to falling rubble. The earthquake caused extensive destruction in Adana, with 146 minarets identified as damaged and in need of demolition.
During the demolition of the Gökoğlu Mosque's minaret, an uncontrolled accident occurred, where pieces of the collapsed minaret scattered onto the street, injuring some staff members and individuals in the street.
The 2023 Turkish-Syrian Massive Earthquake
On February 6, 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern Turkey near the northern border of Syria. Approximately nine hours later, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit around 59 miles (95 kilometers) to the southwest. These earthquakes claimed the lives of over 50,000 people.
The initial earthquake was the most devastating to hit earthquake-prone Turkey in more than 20 years, matching the strength of the most powerful recorded quake there in 1939.
HRW: China Is Violating the Right to Freedom of Religion
According to Human Rights Watch, the government in China is significantly reducing the number of mosques in Ningxia and Gansu provinces through its "mosque consolidation" policy. This action drew criticism from Human Rights Watch in November 2023 for violating the right to freedom of religion.
In 2018, the Chinese government officially labeled Islam as an "ideological illness."
Authorities in China have decommissioned, closed, demolished, and converted mosques for secular uses as part of efforts to restrict the practice of Islam. Islamic architectural elements like domes and minarets have been removed from many mosques. Chinese law mandates that religious practices must occur only in state-approved places of worship for officially recognized religions, with strict governmental oversight over these facilities.
At the beginning of this year, media outlets reported that newly constructed mosques in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region are required to incorporate "Chinese characteristics" under new regulations imposed by authorities.
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