In China, Muslims will not be allowed to fast during the holy month of Ramadan, at least not legally.
Agence France Presse reported this week that the Chinese government has banned many Muslims in the country's Xinjiang region from fasting, issuing warnings on its government website and around public sites of the province.
State-run television also said on its website that it would "enforce the ban on part members, teachers, and young people from taking part in Ramadan activities."
Xinjiang is home to the mostly Muslim Uighur minority, a group that many rights organizations say is severely persecuted under the atheist Chinese government.
However, this restriction is far from new: Ramadan fasting has been "outlawed" so to speak for years in Xinjiang, a site of frequent clashes between Muslim Uighurs and state security forces, adds AFP.
According to Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the exiled World Uyghur Congress, authorities have been checking the homes in Xinjiang to ensure that fasting is not being observed.
“China taking these kind of coercive measures, restricting the faith of Uighurs, will create more conflict. We call on China to ensure religious freedom for Uighurs and stop political repression of Ramadan,” he said.
