SHAH ALAM, 15 July: The Muslim community in the Xinjiang province continue to face pressure from the China government when university students of that ethnicity were threatened to be expelled from university of lose their career opportunities if they fast.
A university in Kashgar reportedly forced Muslim students to eat in front of their lecturers before the start of class every day to make sure that they are not fasting.
If they refused, they will be expelled and denied receiving their degree or diploma.
Quoiting Harakah Daily, a student said that the university administrative staff are also given bottled water and food to Muslim students in the day and they recorded names of those who refuse the food.
The Chinese authorities previously prohibited civil servants, teachers and students to fast, especially in the province of Xinjiang.
They also ordered restaurants to close at night and threatened to fine those who do not comply with the order.
The Chinese government claimed that the campaign to prohibit fasting is an effort to deal with what is considered to be “terrorist acts” by the Uyghur Muslim minority.
This was due to clashes at a market in Urumiqi, a train station in Kunming and at Tianamen Square.
However, human rights groups see the ban as an attempt to oppress and violate the right to religion of the Muslim minority group.
NS