In an attempt to clamp down on religious expression, China has restricted fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in the Xinjiang region, which is largely Muslim.

A notice posted last week on the website of the state Food and Drug Administration in Jinghe county stated that  “food service workplaces will operate normal hours during Ramadan.”

Muslims around the world celebrated the start of Ramadan on Thursday. They are required to fast from dawn to dusk, but China’s ruling Communist Party is trying to restrict the practice in Xinjiang.

AFP reports that officials in the region’s Bole county were told not to “engage in fasting, vigils or other religious activities.”

The World Uighur Congress on Thursday asked China to end its restrictions. The statement adds that such prohibitions “serve only to deepen the division” between Uighurs and the rest of the Chinese community and “fuel further resentment of the state.”

The estimated 12 million Uighurs in Xinjiang are Sunni Muslims. They speak a Turkic language, and regard themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations. The region borders Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.

Read More: yahoo