Chinese authorities across the country’s restive northwest
region of Xinjiang have banned Muslim students and civil servants from taking
part in all “religious activities” during the holy month of Ramadan.
In a region where around 45 per cent of the population is
Muslim, a series of notices issued by schools and government departments have
“strictly forbidden” anyone from taking part in fasting, and some have 
even
been banned from performing their daily prayers in mosques.
even
been banned from performing their daily prayers in mosques.
Notices said the bans were designed to prevent the use of
schools and government offices to “promote religion”, while local political
organisations have been reminded of the ruling party’s officially atheist
stance.But the decision to ban Ramadan is particularly controversial for Xinjiang, coming amid an extensive security crackdown on the minority Uighur Muslim population.
Authorities have blamed separatist Uighurs for a string of
recent terror attacks on civilian crowds and government institutions, but the
group denies involvement and activists have accused Beijing of exaggerating the
threat as an excuse to impose restrictions.
Violence has escalated in recent years in Xinjiang. The
ruling party blames violent extremists that it says want independence, while
members of the region's Uighur ethnic group complain that discrimination and
restrictions on religion, such as a ban on taking children to mosques, are
fueling anger at the ethnic Han Chinese majority.
Source: Agency
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