10 October 2018|30 Muharram 1440
Chinese authorities have launched a campaign against halal products in the capital of Xinjiang, the fractious northwest region where Muslims are facing a raft of religious restrictions.
Halaal, Arabic for permissible, refers to a set of rules guiding Muslims on what is allowed according to the religion. It is frequently applied to food and drinks but also includes other personal hygiene products like toothpaste and cosmetics.
China has been subject to heavy criticism from rights groups and foreign governments amid reports of a crackdown that has seen the detention of as many as one million mostly Muslim ethnic Uighurs in Xinjiang.
Beijing has denied it is systematically violating the rights of Xinjiang’s Muslims.
Communist Party leaders in Urumqi, the regional capital, on Monday led cadres in swearing an oath to fight the “pan-halal trend to the end”.
In an article posted on the city’s official WeChat social media account, party cadres were told to post the same oath on their social media accounts, which included disowning religion.
“My belief is Marxism-Leninism… I must fly the flag high and battle (the) ‘pan-halal trend’ to the end, resolute in my beliefs, even to death!” the oath reads.
Government officials should also not have dietary restrictions, the statement said, adding work canteens would be changed so officials can try “cuisines of various nationalities”.
Uighurs and other Muslim minorities are subject to strict regulations banning beards and burqas, and many have been detained in re-education camps for offences as minor as making contact with family members outside the country or sharing Islamic holiday greetings on social media, a UN report said in August.
Beijing has denied reports of the camps but evidence is mounting in the form of government documents and testimonies from former detainees.
Pic Credit: Times of India
Source Extract: Reuters|Daily Mail
