China says to increase police in Xinjiang for stability

[rug]

Published on Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 15:46 | Source : Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will boost police forces in its western Xinjiang region, state media said on Monday, in an effort to tackle unsanctioned religious activities in the region, which has been beset by ethnic strife and sometimes violent unrest.

Authorities will recruit 8,000 new police officers to augment police ranks in villages and rural areas, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

"Security patrols, management of the migrant population and cracking down on illegal religious activities" will be among their main duties, Xinhua said, citing an unnamed Communist Party spokesman in Xinjiang.

Xinjiang is home to the Uighur ethnic group, a Turkic-speaking Muslim people who account for just over 40 percent of the region's more than 21 million population.

http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/wire-news/china-says-to-increase-policexinjiang-for-stability_659087.html

[DonCoquixote]

1. OOPs

looks like China will soon join the ranks of nations that cannot handle Islam. For people that used to hate America, they seem eager to pick up her vices.

[cleanhippie]

2. Not that I agree with having police taking on "illegal religious activities"

The type of Islam that gets brought to new areas for the first time is usually the more fundamental, theocratic kind. Much like most here in the US that "find Jesus", it's usually the fundamentalist, evangelical, theocratic kind.

And regardless of what the name of the religion is, if it's some fundamental, theocratic type, it is not a good thing. It's oppressive.

I would think anyone would be against that.

[DonCoquixote]

3. True, but

The rpoblem comes in when said crackdown becomes an excuse to kill and grab power, much like it has in the US. Remember, toiday it can be one group, tomorrow, you.

[cleanhippie]

4. Agreed.

How does one effectively combat oppressive religious ideas without infringing on religious freedom?

I guess one would have to draw the line somewhere, and where I think it should be drawn is what I described above.

[rug]

5. Indonesia's cracking down on atheists. China's cracking down on Muslims.

The problem is government enforcement of thought.