As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, every financially and physically capable Muslim must make at least one visit to Mecca, the holiest city in the religion, in a pilgrimage called the hajj. But for Muslims living in China, performing this trip is more difficult due to the watchful eyes of the Chinese government.

As global travel has picked up in the aftermath of the pandemic, Chinese authorities are cutting off nearly all pathways abroad for Muslim believers:https://t.co/rpkSFljADW

— Mobashra (@mobbiemobes) August 18, 2023

Six Chinese Muslim pilgrims narrated their ordeal of completing this once-in-a-lifetime duty to the American media outlet NPR, telling how they had to think of resourceful ways to circumvent attempts by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to stop them from their pilgrimage to Mecca.

The travelers, who NPR did not name for their safety, started their arduous journey when they left their village in the northwestern province of Qinghai, wearing athletic wear instead of the usual Islamic clothing of hijab and prayer caps to prevent the Chinese authorities from noticing them as Hajj pilgrims. The Hajj for this year took place between late June and early July.

After global travel had slowly increased in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese authorities have denied Muslims access to almost every pathway abroad, saying they may be radicalized or spread religious fervor once they return to China. Domestic airports have public security officers that screen travelers flying to Islamic countries.

Mirroring repressive tactics that were previously directed at Uyghur Muslims, now targeting Hui Muslims is absolutely shameful. It’s China paranoia screaming that a simple act of visiting pilgrimage sites could result in radicalization!

— Farzana Saleh (@FarzanaSal567) August 18, 2023

Many Chinese Muslims also say these officers were tasked with contacting and coercing pilgrims already abroad to return to China and detaining those found to have made the Hajj privately, outside of state-authorized tours. Although China runs state-approved Hajj tours for Muslims, they are often not an option for everybody, and the waiting list of the limited Hajj spots Saudi Arabia allocates for Chinese Muslims is at least a five years wait.

The first challenge the six Chinese Muslims had to overcome was obtaining a passport, which had become increasingly difficult, especially for Chinese Muslim ethnic groups like the Uyghurs and Hui. They were lucky to be able to secure passports three years prior after applying to a passport office in Qinghai. Nevertheless, the pilgrims still faced roadblocks such as getting through strict surveillance controls, finding someone to organize their travel, and getting the Hajj visas Saudi Arabia requires for all pilgrims.

this is where your lie fails flat among muslims coz they know the annual quota for pilgrims from each country is set by saudi arabia. there's no haj visa if there's no more quota. but whitelibs might just lick up the whole lot. becoz they like your smell.

— kong with the zind (@kong_ls) August 18, 2023

To assess the likelihood of success, the pilgrims contacted dozens of acquaintances and other Hajj travelers. While the group was able to leave Qinghai, they had to take a long, winding road to Mecca because flying directly to Saudi Arabia was a giveaway to Chinese officers.

Instead, they booked tickets to the southern city of Guangzhou, a central international transit hub. But they were quickly contacted by police officers from their town who asked them why they left Qinghai and inquired whether they planned to make the pilgrimage to Mecca. The group reasoned they went to find work before switching off their phones. Due to panic, they flew to central China and transferred through two more domestic airports before flying to Malaysia, where they visited one of the largest mosques in Kuala Lumpur to pray and weep.

You mean you kept in touch with CIA and make up stories to defame China.

— Candy2020 (@Candy2036156393) August 19, 2023

The six Qinghai pilgrims flew from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia, where they remained unsafe. Local Chinese police officers often made threatening calls to Hajj pilgrims, demanding they return immediately. The Chinese Muslim pilgrims agreed to remove the batteries of their smartphones because of fears that their movements might be tracked or they might receive calls from authorities. They also worried about finding a private driver willing to drive them through Mecca since they were unable to get the official Hajj visa and passes necessary to get through checkpoints.

Despite these massive challenges, the pilgrims completed the two-week-long Hajj last June. But they now have to face the punitive consequences that await them upon returning to Qinghai.