China “smothering” Islam to control Uighurs

From Reuters:

Two U.S.-based human rights groups have accused China of using the law heavy-handedly to clamp down on Muslim Uighurs in its restive western region of Xinjiang in the name of anti-separatism and counter-terrorism.

Beijing’s “wholesale assault” on the Uighurs’ faith ranged from vetting imams and closing mosques to detaining thousands every year and executions, Human Rights Watch and Human Rights in China said in a report released on Tuesday entitled “Devastating Blows: Religious Repression of Uighurs in Xinjiang“.