China closing hundreds of mosques in northern regions, rights group says

Chinese authorities have closed or altered hundreds of mosques in the northern regions of Ningxia and Gansu, homes to the highest Muslim populations in China after Xinjiang, as part of broader efforts to "sinicise" China's religious minorities, according to a report. Researchers at Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Chinese government was significantly reducing the number of mosques in Ningxia autonomous region and Gansu province. The Chinese Communist party (CCP) has long maintained a tight grip over China's religious and ethnic minorities, and since 2016 when Xi Jinping, China's leader, called for the sinicisation of China's religions, the pace and…