For two decades, Ma Yanhu worked as a tour organiser for hundreds of Chinese Muslims looking to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Based in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, his work involved booking flights and arranging essential travel documents. He sometimes even led private tour groups to the city, but stopped this part of his work once the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) prohibited it.
However, despite limiting his work, Ma Yanhu was still detained on 20 March 2023, accused of ‘organising others to illegally cross the border’.
‘They politicised and criminalised the Islamic Hajj pilgrimage, which is not illegal, and insisted on finding me guilty,’ Ma said in his appeal letter, seen by CSW.
Increasing restrictions
The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, and all Muslims who are physically and financially able to make the journey are required to do so at least once in their life. However, the CCP began to crack down on it, starting in 2018 with the Revised Regulations on Religious Affairs. Then in December 2020, new rules meant that all Hajj trips must be organised by the Islamic Association of China, which falls under the authority of the CCP’s United Front Work Department (UFWD).
This was part of a wider effort to ‘sinicize’ and control religious practice across the country.
Ma stopped leading tour groups to Mecca – no doubt aware of the consequences for breaking these restrictions. Instead, he only helped to book flights and apply for tourist or Umrah visas (the latter often referred to as the ‘lesser’ or ‘minor’ pilgrimage of Islam).
But this was not enough.
Ma was detained, and five weeks later was formally arrested (24 April 2023). But the charge against him had changed.
He now stood accused of ‘illegal business operations’, which is commonly used against religious leaders in China; you may recognise it as one of the charges against Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Church.
This charge criminalises a vague and broad range of activities, and often aims to undermine a leader’s reputation and credibility, too. Our sources believe it was altered in Ma Yanhu’s case because the initial charge lacked evidence.
‘If they decide someone is guilty, they must be guilty, regardless of the facts and the law.’
Interference from a ‘powerful hand’
Six months after Ma’s formal arrest, a prosecution letter was issued. However – contrary to standard procedure – no trial date was set because the court had been told that the letter needed to be amended.
Six months after that, a second prosecution letter was issued (15 April 2024). The charges had been changed back to ‘illegally crossing the border’, and the case finally proceeded to trial. On 21 June, Ma was sentenced to eight years in prison. He appealed shortly afterwards, but this was rejected.
In his appeal letter, Ma wrote: ‘There has been a powerful hand behind the scenes interfering and manipulating the trial of my case.’
At the time of writing, Ma remains in Wuzhong City Prison, with no further avenue for appeal. With your support, we will continue to advocate for people like Ma Yanhu, calling for his sentence to be overturned. He should not have spent the past two years detained on trumped-up, unlawful charges. And he should not be held a day longer.
By CSW’s Press and Public Affairs Officer Ellis Heasley
Pray for the unconditional release of Ma Yanhu, Pastor Wang Yi, and all those unjustly detained in China because of their religion or belief.