In yet another crackdown, a court in China has sentenced a Muslim couple for practicing their religious belief.
A 38-year-old Muslim man was sentenced to six years in prison for growing a beard, a practice discouraged by local authorities, whereas his wife was given a two-year sentence for wearing a veil.
The man “had started growing his beard in 2010″ whereas his wife “wore a veil hiding her face and a burqa”.
According to local officials, the Kashgar couple had “received several warnings” before being charged.
“Since the beginning of the year, a certain number of people breaking the regulation on beards, veils and burqas have been prosecuted and sentenced,” officials in Kashgar were quoted as saying by the Daily.
According to spokesperson for the exile World Uyghur Congress, “If a Chinese person grows a beard, it is a personal fashion he is allowed to choose freely. If a Uighur grows a beard, he is a religious extremist.”
“It is unacceptable and absurd. It exposes China’s hostile attitude and crisis of governance,” he added.
A Chinese authority in the Xinjiang region associates the practice of growing beard with extremist ideas and campaigned against it for more than a year.
A campaigned “Project Beauty” also a widespread practice to encourage women to leave behind the headscarfs and abandon wearing the veil.
The decision shocked many which force them to tweet to express their views on the jail sentence.
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