Chinese Hui Muslims trigger storm by wearing traditional dress to event to promote ethnic unity

Name: Xinjiang’s vanishing mosques reflect growing pressure on China’s Uygur Muslims
Uploaded: 2021-06-27T11:00:18.000Z
Duration: 1 min 55 s
Description: Xinjiang’s vanishing mosques reflect growing pressure on China’s Uygur Muslims

Pictures of women wearing headscarves at a Go tournament triggers investigation by Ningxia sports authority amid claims of religious extremism

The competition featured representatives from all China’s minority groups, many of whom wore traditional costumes

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Competitors from Ningxia wore Islamic headscarves to the tournament. Photo: Weibo

Kristin Huang

Published: 7:00pm, 27 Jun 2021Updated: 9:34pm, 28 Jun 2021

A competition designed to promote unity among China’s different ethnic groups has become embroiled in controversy after some of the competitors wore traditional Islamic clothing to the event.

The Go tournament – a traditional Chinese board game also known as Weiqi – in Quzhou, a city in Zhejiang province, was designed to promote “participation and communication” among the members of China’s 56 designated ethnic minority groups.

The competition, organised by the Chinese Weiqi Association and various other groups, also featured a relay in which competitors took it in turns to move a piece as a symbol of cooperation between all the different ethnic groups.

Many competitors wore traditional clothing to the event last weekend, including female members of the Muslim Hui minority from Ningxia, who wore headscarves.

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Xinjiang’s vanishing mosques reflect growing pressure on China’s Uygur Muslims

One of the competitors, Wang Jingchu, won both the female competition and a prize for the best traditional outfit.