China’s Communist Regime Suppresses Uighur Ramadan Activities

 

While the start of this week marked the beginning of the month of Ramadan for Xinjiang’s Uighur Muslims, China’s Communist authorities are reportedly cracking down on Muslim religious activity.

The Web site for the town of Yingmaili currently lists nine rules put in place to control the Muslim holy month in the name of “maintaining stability during Ramadan.” 

 

The list includes barring teachers and students from observing Ramadan, requiring men to shave their beards, forcing women to take off their veil’s, prohibiting mosques from letting people from outside the town stay the night, forbidding retired government officials from entering mosques, and requiring restaurants to maintain normal hours of operation. 

 

During Ramadan, Muslim restaurants normally close during day time hours for their religious fasting, known as swam, which takes place from sunrise to sunset. Muslims who are observing Ramadan typically eat large meals at night. 

 

Currently, as many as a dozen Muslim restaurants in the area had their business licenses revoked for closing up shop during the Muslim holy month.

This year, China’s Communist regime forced owners of Halal Food Industry to sign a guarantee to continue to operate during Ramadan. Any closure during this period is considered illegal.