The Star Online, 25 August 2012

Under China’s Communist Party constitution, a Muslim would have to forgo his religious beliefs if he wanted to become a party member. However, Muslims who are not members can freely observe any religious teaching and custom, including fasting, as guaranteed under China’s constitution.

DURING the month of Rama­dan, foreign media highlighted the ban imposed by the Chinese Communist Party on its members to refrain from fasting in the northwestern Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region.

Notices on the ban were posted on several government websites late last month, targeting party members who are predominantly Muslim followers.

The government of Zonglang village in Kashgar said in a statement that it would maintain social stability and ensure the members abide by the party’s rules.

“After a party committee meeting, we set up a working group which would be led by the party secretary to visit the old cadres at six villages under our administration.

“We would bring gifts such as flour to the villages and give them to the needy cadres,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Shache county’s road management bureau said it held a meeting with its party members, including retired civil servants, who were of the minority ethnic groups, reminding them not to participate in illegal religious activities or fasting during Rama­dan.

Authorities in other parts of the region have also urged pupils and students not to fast for the sake of their health.

Foreign reports quoted an anthropology professor at a college in California in the United States as saying that there was a much more public and concerted effort than in previous years to discourage party members, civil servants and students from fasting.

The professor said it was a misguided effort by the party to secularise the Uyghur ethnic group and this would make the community even more angry at the party for not honouring their religious customs.

Exiled rights group World Uyghur Congress accused China for using administrative methods to force the Uyghur people to break their religious tradition.

In response to the negative reports, Xinjiang government spokesman Hou Hanmin told Global Times that the authorities did encourage party members, officials and students to eat properly for work and study purposes but did not force anyone to eat.

She said religious extremism was closely related to terrorism and violence, and all the government wanted to do was to crack down on culprits of terrorist activities and not the Uyghurs.

Apparently, Muslim extremists have used the religion to influence the Uyghurs, especially children, to rebel against the government. In some areas, children were reportedly forced to learn the Quran at illegal gatherings while some were abused if they refused to study it.

What was not stated clearly in these foreign reports was that the party had the right to ask its members not to fast and not to observe the religious activities.

A party member who works at a Chinese media company said under the party’s constitution, a Muslim would have to forgo his religious belief if he wanted to become a party member.

He said party members were atheists and therefore should not participate in fasting or prayers but they could still take part in Aidilfitri, Aidiladha and other Islamic festivals in the name of racial integration.

Chinese Islamic Association editorial department head Ma Liqiang said except for Muslims who turned party members, every Muslim could freely observe any religious teachings and customs including fasting.

“This freedom is guaranteed under China’s constitution. I think the notices posted by some government departments in Xinjiang were misconstrued by the foreign media and blown out of the proportion.

“Our fellow Uyghur counterparts who are Muslims do not have any problem going to the mosque and fasting during Ramadan. Every Muslim in China lives harmoniously with other races without causing any racial problem in society,” he said in an interview.

Ma warned that many quarters attempted to spread rumours of racial disunity in places like Xinjiang and the government would have to handle the matter with much care.

China has a Muslim population of about 21 million. They are predominantly from 10 minority ethnic groups such as Uyghur, Hui, Kazakh, Dongxiang, Kyrgyz, Salar, Tajik and Bonan.

Many live in northwest provinces of Xinjiang, Gansu and Ningxia but are also spread out in all parts of China including Yunnan, Henan, Beijing, Guangdong and Shanghai.

The Chinese Communist Party has on many occasions distributed guidelines on its religious policies to its party leadership at all levels to ensure the religious inclination issue among its members was properly dealt with.

According to the guidelines, although most party members are committed to the party’s political cause, some of them might not be able to fully free from religious influences.

“For such cadres, all levels of party committees should not give up on them and should educate them patiently so that they will no longer be bogged down by religious thoughts.

“On the other hand, we will be firm in suspending their membership if they fan religious sentiments, go against the party’s religious policies and threaten national unity,” the document said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/8/25/focus/11910283&sec=focus