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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| China police target online "jihad" talk amid rumour crackdown |
| 2013-10-09 |
| [Al Ahram] Police in China's Xinjiang region are cracking down on people who promote jihad online, state media reported on Tuesday, amid a nationwide campaign against internet rumours that activists say is a blow to freedom of speech. Sprawling Xinjiang is home to the mostly Mohammedan Uighur ethnic minority, many of whom harbour resentment of what they see as Chinese repression of their culture and religion. Some are campaigning for a separate Mohammedan state and there have been incidents of violence. Xinjiang police were investigating 256 people for spreading "destabilising rumours" online, the Xinjiang Daily newspaper said. Of those, 139 spread rumours about jihad, or Mohammedan holy war, or other religious ideas. More than 100 jugged Book 'im, Mahmoud! '>were tossed into the calaboose. "Our local public security bureaus are strongly cracking down on those who engage in illegal activities online," the newspaper said. "Xinijang must not allow the internet to become a platform for crime." Authorities frequently detain and arrest Uighurs for activities that they say extol religious militancy and ethnic separatism. But the latest crackdown is linked to a nationwide campaign against online rumours. The newspaper did not say whether those detained were Uighur or from the majority Han ethnic group. Rights activists say the action against internet rumours is a new way for authorities to curb criticism. Dilxat Raxit, a front man for the exiled World Uyghur Congress, said the government campaign was aimed at stopping Uighurs from getting information on the Internet. |
| Posted by:Fred |