Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region working as civil servants, students and teachers have been banned from fasting during the holy month of Ramadan on Wednesday.
The move has sparked condemnation from an exile group.
Xinjiang is a mainly Muslim region, home to the Uighur minority. For years China’s ruling Communist party has restricted fasting in the region, which has seen sees regular and often deadly clashes between Uighurs and state security forces.
Beijing has blamed recent deadly attacks elsewhere in China on militants seeking independence for the resource-rich region.
According to Agence France-Presse, the state-run Bozhou Radio and TV university said on its website that it would “enforce the ban on party members, teachers, and young people from taking part in Ramadan activities.”
“We remind everyone that they are not permitted to observe a Ramadan fast,” it added.
A weather bureau in Qaraqash county in western Xinjiang said on its website that “in accordance with instructions from higher authorities”, it “calls on all current and retired staff not to fast during Ramadan”.
A state office which manages the Tarim River basin posted pictures of its staff wearing traditional Uighur “doppa” caps tucking into a group meal on Saturday.
“Although the meal coincided with the Muslim festival of Ramadan, the cadres who took part expressed a positive attitude and will lead the non-fasting,” it said.
Meanwhile, the commercial affairs bureau of Turfan city said on its website Monday that “civil servants and students cannot take part in fasting and other religious activities.”
China has in the past said that restrictions on fasting are meant to ensure the health of government employees, according to AFP.
Home inspections
The month of Ramadan began this weekend. During the holy month, the faithful fast from dawn to dusk and strive to be more pious.
On Monday, Chinese authorities reportedly encouraged Uighurs to eat free meals on Monday, and inspected homes to check if the fast was being observed, Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the exiled World Uyghur Congress, told AFP citing local sources.
“China taking these kind of coercive measures, restricting the faith of Uighurs, will create more conflict,” he said.
“We call on China to ensure religious freedom for Uighurs and stop political repression of Ramadan.”
Categories: Current Affairs, Featured, Islamophobia
The Muslim Debate Initiative 
it’s sad china adopts a system created in Europe more than 50 years ago when science was still backwards, and then they seek to impose that backwardness on people because they don’t know how to update the ideology with real science, try asking any nutritionist or doctor before acting next time. Fasting is one of the most healthiest things you can do for the human body, maybe they should actually look into it before passing judgment based on idiotic stereotypes that are not Chinese, if they actually followed the history of their people rather than this imitation of white people’s society then they would be more enlightened people who are not following the ways of the petty.
Seriously does fasting or praying actually threaten the government in any way, its part of the creed of muslims to obey those in authority and you actually leave the religion if you are a rebel, unless the government is oppressive and abusive, so why stir up this controversy which has no bearing on them, it has to be lack of knowledge, soon they will find this world has passed them on along with their european style of government.