[New York Times] Edward Wong - To be a practicing Muslim in the Xinjiang autonomous region of northwestern China is to live under an intricate series of laws and regulations intended to control the spread and practice of Islam, the predominant religion among the Uighurs, a Turkic people uneasy with Chinese rule. Official versions of the Koran are the only legal ones. Imams may not teach the Koran in private, and studying Arabic is allowed only at special government schools. Uighurs are the largest ethnic group in Xinjiang, accounting for 46% of the population of 19 million, and the Chinese government worries about separatist activity in the region. A series of attacks in August left at least 22 security officers and one civilian dead in the biggest wave of violence in Xinjiang since the 1990s.
2008-10-22 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive