Xinjiang Government Seizes, Confiscates Political and Religious Publications

Authorities in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) launched a month-long campaign on May 17 aimed at rooting out "political and religious illegal publications," according to a June 3 article from Tianshan Net. Officials began the campaign to create a "good cultural environment" for a national book fair held in Urumqi, the XUAR capital, and as part of the region's 2006 Sweep Away Pornography and Strike Down Illegal Publications campaign. A May 18 Xinjiang Daily article (via Tianshan Net) on the campaign noted a large number of illegal political and religious publications in the XUAR, including political publications that "propagate holy war and propagate terrorism."

According to the June 3 article, authorities confiscated 609 illegal political and religious materials during the first stage of the campaign. The investigation team charged with examining publication markets and manufacturing and storage sites found "the existence of books with seriously harmful religious inclinations," including a Uighur-language edition of "The Selected Works of Tantawi." A second investigation team, which was in charge of examining printing and copying businesses, found illegal religious publications in the Uighur language with "unhealthy content" that had been printed without authorization. These publications included "The Image of Muslim Women" and "Halal and Haram" ("Lawful and Unlawful"). The article reported that authorities were in the process of trying the cases resulting from the confiscation of these publications.

The government exercises tight control over religious publications. National regulations impose strict prior restraints over the publishing of all religious materials and materials that deal with religious topics. In addition, the Islamic Affairs Steering Committee of the state-controlled Islamic Association of China oversees Islamic publications to ensure that they comply with Party and government policy. Local regulations and policies in the XUAR also place strict controls over religious materials as part of a broader crackdown in the region on Islamic practice and other expressions of Uighur identity.

For more information, see sections on Rights Violations in Xinjiang and Religious Freedom for China's Muslims in the CECC 2005 Annual Report.