Whoa. China Won't Let Muslims Fast for Ramadan!
Posted on June 20, 2015 by Onan Coca — 55 Comments
China
is giving the Islamic world a taste of its own medicine by refusing to
allow the Muslim minority to practice their religion as they see fit.
I
will never, ever advocate that freedom of religion should be infringed
upon… but I will admit to feeling a bit of a pleasure to see some in the
Muslim community being forced to suffer the same sleights that Islamic
governments commit against Christians and other religious minorities in
the Islamic world.
As Ramadan begins, China’s
atheist government is taking extreme measures to stop its 20 to 30
million Muslim citizens from keeping the religiously mandated daytime
fast.
Chinese attempts to suppress Islam have focused on Xinjiang,
a majority-Muslim province in the country’s far west. Xinjiang’s
locals, the Uyghurs, have their own language and culture. Some Uyghurs
prefer calling Xinjiang
“East Turkestan” and favor independence from
China.
According to Reuters,
Chinese authorities are making Muslim officials in Xinjiang swear
oaths, “guaranteeing they have no faith” and that they will not fast
during the holy month. The requirement also extends to teachers and
students in government-run schools.
County governments in Xinjiang have published advisories to
“not engage in fasting, vigils or other religious activities,” and
instructing students: “do not fast, do not enter mosques … and do not
attend religious activities.” One county government cited a 90-year-old
man who said that “to consciously resist religious and superstitious
ideas,” he would avoid fasting and visiting mosques.
Likewise,
restaurants will be required to stay open during the day, and those who
do not comply face the threat of increased food-safety inspections.
China
claims its restrictive policies toward religious expression are
meant to curb “religious extremism.” Public terrorist attacks by Uyghur
separatists have increased in recent years, and officials have responded
in various parts of Xinjiang by increasing security and restricting
various forms of Muslim cultural expression.
The country also severely restricts and controls free expression of Christianity, Buddhism and various new religious movements.
Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, the thousand-year-old chief scholarly institution of Sunni Islam, issued a statement Friday condemning “the Chinese authorities’ ban on Muslims from fasting and practicing their religious rituals during Ramadan.”
Ramadan
lasts from mid-June to mid-July this year. The observance commemorates
the month during which Muslims say Muhammad received his first
revelation of the Quran.
Fasting and sexual abstinence during
daylight in Ramadan is obligatory for all capable adult Muslims. It is
one of Islam’s “five pillars,” or core mandates, together with belief in
God and Muhammad, daily prayer, charitable giving and pilgrimage to
Mecca.
Muslim customs during Ramadan in many places include
nightly feasts, public celebrations, exchanging gifts and giving to
charity. The month ends with Eid al-Fitr, one of Islam’s most
significant holidays.
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