Civil servants, students and teachers prevented from fasting and restaurants ordered to remain open in Xinjiang region.
China has banned civil servants, students and teachers in its mainly
Muslim Xinjiang region from fasting during Ramadan and ordered
restaurants to stay open.
Most Muslims are required to fast from dawn to dusk during the holy
month, which began on Thursday, but China's ruling Communist party is
officially atheist and for years has restricted the practice in
Xinjiang, home to the mostly Muslim Uighur minority.
"Food service workplaces will operate normal hours during Ramadan,"
said a notice posted last week on the website of the state Food and Drug
Administration in Xinjiang's Jinghe county.
Officials in the region's Bole county were told: "During Ramadan do
not engage in fasting, vigils or other religious activities," according
to a local government website report of a meeting this week.
Each year, the authorities' attempt to ban fasting among Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang receives widespread criticism from rights groups.
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