China Punishes 15 Officials for Openly Practising Faith
Tensions are running high in Xinjiang, after officials told Muslims to eschew religious customs during the fasting month of Ramadan, which rights groups saw as an bid to repress Uighurs.
Another official was punished, according to Xinhua, for having "ambiguous understanding and attitudes, sluggish action, and ineffective implementation toward counter-terrorism operations".
State media reported last week that authorities in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi closed 27 places used for "underground" preaching and detained 44 imams as part of an operation to "rescue" 82 children from religious schools known as madrassas.
China punishes the study of Islam outside the confines of tightly controlled state mosques and children are prohibited from attending madrassas, prompting many parents who wish to provide a religious education to use underground schools.
Source: World Bulletin
