China: Uyghur Muslims Defy Ramadan Fasting Ban

Following the ban on fasting during Ramadan imposed by the Chinese government on Muslims in the province of Xinjiang, Uyghur Muslims defied the authorities and started observing Ramadan and regularly performing their prayers, stating defiantly that “the restrictions have backfired.”

The ban runs counter to the expectations of the Chinese authorities.
“Not only have locals become more observant of Islamic practices, but many have found ways to flaunt Chinese laws restricting everything from who may attend the mosque, to which copies of the Quran are read,” said Aljazeera.
According to the same source, it is not only government employees who are banned from taking part in the religious practice of fasting Ramadan, but also “children under the age of 18 are barred from attending mosques.”
Despite the restrictions imposed by the Chinese authorities to eradicate Islam in that region, “dozens of men attending night prayers at one of Kashgar’s medieval mosques have brought along their children.”
“Sure, it’s against the law to bring kids to the masjid [mosque], but we do it anyway,” Ghulam Abbas, an Uyghur man said.
Abbas added that maktaps, part-time schools at the mosque, where they memorized the Quran, were also prohibited.
However, these tight restrictions on religious freedom in Xinjiang did not bar Muslim families from passing on the teachings of Islam to their children.
“We are not allowed to teach them the Quran but we do at home- secretly,” Abbas said.
Source: Morocco World News