China Bans Ramadan Fasting In Mainly Muslim Region [See Why]

China has banned civil servants, students
and teachers in its mainly Muslim
Xinjiang region from fasting during
Ramadan and ordered restaurants to
stay open.
Most Muslims are required to fast from
dawn to dusk during the holy month,
which began on Thursday, but China’s
ruling Communist party is officially
atheist and for years has restricted the
practice in Xinjiang, home to the mostly
Muslim Uighur minority.
“Food service workplaces will operate
normal hours during Ramadan,” said a
notice posted last week on the website of
the state Food and Drug Administration
in Xinjiang’s Jinghe county.
Officials in the region’s Bole county were
told: “During Ramadan do not engage in
fasting, vigils or other religious
activities,” according to a local
government website report of a meeting
this week.
Each year, the authorities’ attempt to
ban fasting among Uighur Muslims in
Xinjiang receives widespread criticism
from rights groups.
China imposes restrictions on Muslim
Uighurs
Uighur rights groups say China’s
restrictions on Islam in Xinjiang have
added to ethnic tensions in the region,
where clashes have killed hundreds in
recent years.
China says it faces a “terrorist threat” in
Xinjiang, with officials blaming
“religious extremism” for the growing
violence.