World Uyghur Congress, 19 May 2018

Young Uyghurs have been prohibited from engaging in any kind of religious activity in East Turkistan. Uyghurs under the age of 18 have been prohibited from entering mosques or participating in any other activities.

Religion has also been banned in any education setting and parents are now officially prohibited from teaching their children Islamic traditions and according to a regulation in 2016, cannot “organise, lure or force minors into attending religious activities.”

Many of the regulations surrounding Uyghur children have been aimed at stifling identity formation among the young. China’s policies towards different age groups bear this out as the older generations have been given more leniency and those aged from 18-50 have been targeted with more aggressive policies ostensibly to rid them of their well-established Uyghur identities.