Food, toothpaste targeted in China’s anti-halal campaign against Uygur minority
Local Communist Party swears to fight a ‘decisive battle’ against ‘pan-halalisation’
An anti-halal campaign has been launched in the capital of China’s heavily Muslim region of Xinjiang to stop everyday products like food and toothpaste from fuelling “extremism” among the ethnic Uygur population.
At a meeting on Monday in Urumqi, Communist Party leaders and cadres swore an oath to “fight a decisive battle against ‘pan-halalisation’,” according to the city’s official WeChat account.
This includes everyday products, like food and toothpaste, which are produced according to Islamic law.
China has been subject to heavy criticism from rights groups and foreign governments amid reports of a punitive crackdown that has seen the detention of as many as 1 million Uygurs in Xinjiang.
Beijing has denied it is systematically violating the rights of Xinjiang’s Muslims, saying it is only cracking down on extremism and “splittism” in the region.