China Opens Ramadan by Mocking Muslims with Dance Performance Inside Uyghurs’ Most Prominent Mosque in Kashgar, Where Uyghurs Themselves Cannot Pray

February 17 is the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. On this day, Muslims begin fasting, but China chose to begin Ramadan by mocking Islam in the largest mosque, Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar, the heartland of Uyghur culture, by encouraging Han Chinese dancers to perform in the place of worship, where the Chinese government has banned Uyghurs from coming and worshiping freely. For many, the contrast was deeply painful: a sacred site turned into a stage, while its own faithful face tight control.

A video shared on February 17 has sparked anger among Uyghurs after showing a Chinese social media influencer performing a hip-hop dance inside the historic Id Kah Mosque — the most prominent mosque in the Uyghur region.

The video, circulated by Uyghur activists, shows the dancer performing in the center of the mosque’s worship space and recording the act for social media. The clip quickly went viral and was heavily criticized by members of the Uyghur diaspora.

Uyghur activist Abduweli Ayup strongly condemned the incident, stating:

“Chinese dancers playfully dance Hip-Hop in most prominent Uyghur mosque mocking faith and religion while Uyghurs are banned from the mosque. In a video shared by Uyghur activists on Feb 17, a Chinese dancer and social media influencer dances in the center of worship place and records it to share on social media. This video got viral and criticized by Uyghur community in diaspora.”

Many Uyghur believers reacted emotionally online. Some posted prayers calling for divine punishment, writing:

“Pray God punish you harshly for mocking our faith and most sacred place.”

Arslan Hidayat, Uyghur activist said: ” Mosques in Chinese-occupied East Turkistan are open. Open for break-dancing. Location: Id Kah mosque, Kashgar, East Turkistan.”

The incident comes amid longstanding concerns over restrictions on Uyghur religious practice. Uyghur Times previously reported that Turkish tourists said they were prevented from praying at the mosque during prayer time and were instead required to pay an entrance fee to visit the site as tourists.

In one widely shared case on October 14, 2025, a Turkish visitor posted a video stating he was expelled from the mosque after attempting to pray. According to his account, although visitors were charged to enter, he was not permitted to perform prayer inside the mosque. He said that despite explaining he was Muslim, authorities ordered him to leave. In the video, he claimed that during prayer time, no worshippers were present.

Critics argue that such incidents demonstrate what they describe as policies that restrict Islamic practice while allowing the site to function as a tourist attraction.

Chinese authorities have not publicly commented on the latest video.