Abstaining from alcohol is among 75 activities the Chinese government identifies as potential signs of religious behaviour, China thinks it has to oppress. This is outlined in brochures distributed in China´s Muslim-populated Xinjiang.
This stance has led to the imprisonment of Uyghurs, who, as Muslims, abstain from alcohol, as part of Beijing’s broader effort to eradicate Uyghur culture and religion.
A Muslim Uyghur butcher, Mahmudjan Muqeddem, served a seven-year prison sentence in southern Xinjiang for advising friends not to drink alcohol or smoke.
His release on April 11 marked the first time one of the approximately 100 jailed Uyghur residents from Xaneriq village was released alive, according to an anonymous Uyghur source from the area now living abroad.
A police officer from the Yenitam community in Xaneriq confirmed that Muqeddem, a butcher and farmer, had been released after serving his sentence in a Urumqi prison. The officer’s colleagues reported that Muqeddem was initially detained on suspicion of religious radicalization for advising against drinking and smoking before 2016. He was “educated” in a camp for two years before being sentenced and transferred to prison in 2019.
The officer stated, “The reason for arrest is that he stopped others from smoking and drinking.”
The Tawaqchi community, home to about 800 people, has seen over 100 individuals imprisoned, with some serving indefinite sentences in internment camps. Since 2017, six others from the community who were imprisoned have been released deceased.
This post is based on information of RADIO FREE ASIA
