China: Religious Regulations Tighten for Uyghurs as New Laws Aim to ‘Sinicize’ Places of Worship, Practice in Largely Muslim Xinjiang
Cross-posted from: feddit.de/post/8449303
The Chinese government’s revised regulations in the Xinjiang region tighten controls over the religious practices of the predominantly Muslim ethnic Uyghurs, Human Rights Watch says.
The revisions, effective February 1, 2024, focus on “Sinicizing” religions, a government priority under President Xi Jinping since 2016 to make places of worship and religious teachings better reflect Han Chinese culture and Chinese Communist Party ideology. Many of the 2024 revisions appear to bring Xinjiang’s regulatory framework in line with restrictions in national laws and regulations adopted since 2014.
“The Chinese government’s new regulations on religion in Xinjiang is the latest attempt to suppress Uyghur culture and ideology,” said Maya Wang, acting China director at Human Rights Watch. “The revisions aim to forcibly transform religious practice to be consistent with Chinese Communist Party ideology: to do otherwise risks imprisonment.”
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