September 11, 2008, - 2:17 pm
A Great Question on this 9/11 Anniversary: Why Doesn’t China Butt-Kiss Muslims Like We Do?
By Debbie Schlussel
**** SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE ****
Actually, the question is the opposite.
Reader “Infinite” asks it:
Why is it that China is fighting islamic fundamentalists the way we should be fighting Islamic fundamentalists especially during Ramadan?
That’s a great question. The answer is that China is far more fierce, these days, about protecting its country’s borders and national security than we are. And perhaps the Chi-Coms have a stronger will for their nation to survive than ours. Their students aren’t more concerned with what Lindsay Lohan and the kids on “The Hills” are gonna do next.
Oh, and also, the Constitution prohibits us from establishing a national religion or preferring one . . . unless it’s Islam.
“Infinite” is talking about this (about which he read on China Confidential):
Local Chinese governments impose rules for Ramadan
BEIJING: Local governments in a Muslim desert region in western China have imposed strict limits on religious practices during the traditional Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began last week, according to the Web sites of four of those governments.
The rules include prohibiting women from wearing veils and men from growing beards, as well as barring government officials from observing Ramadan. One town, Yingmaili, mandates that local officials check up on mosques at least twice a week during Ramadan.
The local governments administer areas in the western part of Xinjiang, a vast autonomous region that is home to the Uighurs, a Muslim Turkic people who often chafe under rule by the ethnic Han Chinese. . . .
The Web site of the town of Yingmaili lists nine rules put in place to “maintain stability during Ramadan.”
They include barring teachers and students from observing Ramadan, prohibiting retired government officials from entering mosques and requiring men to shave off beards and women to take off veils. Mosques may not let people from outside the town stay overnight, and restaurants must maintain normal hours of business. (Many restaurants close during daytime hours over Ramadan because of the fasting, which is supposed to last from sunrise to sunset. Muslims observing Ramadan typically eat substantial meals at night.)
In nearby Xinhe County, the government has decreed that Communist Party members, civil servants and retired officials not observe Ramadan, enter mosques or take part in any religious activities during the month. Worshipers cannot make pilgrimages to tombs, so as to “avoid any group event that might harm social stability,” according to the Xinhe government’s Web site.
In addition, children and students cannot be forced to attend religious activities, and women cannot be forced to wear veils.
County rules also stress the need to maintain a strict watch over migrant workers and visitors from outside. Companies and families who have workers or visitors from outside the county are required to register the outsiders with the nearest police station and have the outsiders sign an agreement “on maintaining social stability.” . . .
The city of Artux is also preventing its teachers and students from observing Ramadan. As a result, schools have to keep serving food and water, city authorities said. As with the other governments, the overall goal is “to maintain social stability during Ramadan.”
In some parts of the world, militants see Ramadan as a good time to carry out attacks because they believe achieving martyrdom during the holy fasting month is an especially sacred act.
Well, here’s one thing we know from this article: China won’t become a Muslim country as fast as America does. Not even close.
**** UPDATE: Listen to Brett Winterble’s interesting Covert Radio interview about the Uighur Muslims of China and their involvement with Al-Qaeda.
Since your previous recommendation, I’ve been downloading the daily podcast from Covert Radio. They did a long report on fight between China and the Uighurs in their August 14th podcast. It’s still available on thier Archive page.
dm60462 on September 11, 2008 at 3:10 pm