Chinese officials have reportedly told residents of the Muslim-majority Xinjiang to handover copies of the Holy Quran, prayer mat and other items symbolic of Islam, BBC Urdu reported.
Quoting a report by Radio Free Asia, the British publication said officials have made announcements through local mosques and neighbourhoods of the province, where mostly Muslims of the Uighur, Kyrgyz and Kazakh origins reside, to abide by the directives or face punitive action.
A spokesperson for the World Uighur Conference said they received such reports from Kashgar, Hotan and other areas during the last week. A notification, the said, has also been received, directing the Uighur to submit items symbolic of Islam.
According to them, police were making these announcements through a social media platform.
Earlier this year, officials had seized all copies of the Holy Quran which were published more than five years ago, claiming these could contain material relating to ‘extremism’.
Reports suggested the items being termed illegal under the “Three Illegals and One Item“ campaign, included copies of the Holy Quran, remote-controlled toys, large knives and inflammable items.
