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China: Uyghur served 7 years in jail for advising others not to drink or smoke. It is the first time that one of the jailed residents from Xaneriq village are released alive. (ij-reportika.com)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by 0x815@feddit.de to c/news@beehaw.org

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Cross posted from: https://feddit.de/post/11367068

“The reason for arrest is that he stopped others from smoking and drinking,” said the officer. “He is not a religious figure.”

Abstaining from alcohol is one of 75 different activities and behaviors identified by the Chinese government as a sign of potential religious extremism. It is listed in brochures distributed in some parts of Xinjiang to educate the public on how to identify extreme religious activities.

It is also a cause for jailing Uyghurs, who as Muslims abstain from drinking alcohol, as part of a larger effort by Beijing to eradicate Uyghur culture and religion.

Initially, the Uyghur was “educated” in a camp for two years, but in 2019, he was sentenced and transferred to prison, they said.

Xaneriq village consists of 23 smaller communities with a total population of 31,000 people, averaging around 1,400 people in each community.

About 800 people live in Tawaqchi community, of which more than 100 were in prison, with some serving indefinite sentences in internment camps, an Uyghur expatriate said.

[Edit typo.]

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[–] tesseract@beehaw.org 31 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Abstaining from alcohol is one of 75 different activities and behaviors identified by the Chinese government as a sign of potential religious extremism. It is listed in brochures distributed in some parts of Xinjiang to educate the public on how to identify extreme religious activities.

What next? Breathing air?

[–] TehPers@beehaw.org 20 points 7 months ago

You're not wrong. All religious extremists are, in fact, air breathers. They're also generally water drinkers.

As someone who doesn't drink, this has reinforced my preference to wait until things improve (hopefully they will eventually...) before considering a trip there.

[–] delirious_owl@discuss.online 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

Are you referring to the quote from the SCOTUS justice recently?

The US ues currently banning sleeping outside with a pillow or blanket, and one of the justices asked if we're going to ban breathing next.

[–] DdCno1@beehaw.org 2 points 7 months ago

But what about...

[–] tesseract@beehaw.org 2 points 7 months ago

I didn't know that. But that's a good question.