(Mark Ralston)
Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang say that women are banned from wearing headscarves
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Muslim separatists demanding independence for China’s westernmost region have massed in a southern Silk Road oasis to protest against Beijing rule, stirred up by recent riots in Tibet.
Officials in Khotan said that about 100 people had been detained after several hundred members of the Uighur Muslim minority staged a demonstration in a marketplace in the city on March 23. The local government gave no reason why the unrest had not been revealed for so many days, but it is not unusual for the Chinese authorities to try to prevent news of disruptions entering the public domain.
Muslim extremists trying to start a rebellion were to blame, the authorities said. “A small number of elements tried to incite splittism, create disturbances . . . and even trick the masses into an uprising.” There are 8 million Uighur Muslims among a population of 19 million in Xinjiang province. The latest sign of pro-independence unrest among ethnic minorities in China comes only weeks after Beijing revealed that it was facing a serious threat to the Olympics from terrorists among the Uighurs.
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