Chinese police have been using spies to ensure that Uyghur Muslims do not fast during the holy month of Ramzan. The spies, which Chinese officials call “ears”, are drawn from ordinary citizens, police and members of neighbourhood committees, Radio Free Asia reported citing a police officer from an area near Turpan, or Tulufan in Chinese, in eastern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Speaking to Radio Free Asia, the police officer said, “We have many secret agents.” China started banning Muslims in Xinjiang from fasting during Ramzan in 2017 when authorities started arbitrarily detaining Uyghurs in “re-education” camps amid efforts to diminish Uyghur culture, language and religion, as per the news report.
The restriction announced by Chinese authorities was partially relaxed in 2021 and 2022, permitting people above the age of 65 years to fast and police even reduced the number of home searches and street patrol activities. This year, the Chinese government has banned everyone from fasting irrespective of age, gender or profession, Radio Free Asia reported citing a political official at Turpan City Police Station. During the first week of Ramzan, Chinese authorities summoned 56 Uyghur residents and former detainees to question them about their activities and said that 54 of them violated the law by fasting, Radio Free Asia reported citing a policeman from Turpan City Bazaar Police Station.
As per the news report, neither he nor another police officer at the police station would discuss what happened to those who were determined to have violated the law. Police stations in Turpan have engaged two or three spies from each village to watch people previously questioned and detained for fasting during Ramzan and those released from prison, Radio Free Asia reported citing officials. “Our ‘ears’ came from three fields — the ordinary residents, the police and the neighbourhood committees,” the police officer from an area near Turpan said. She said that they recruited Uyghurs to surveil other Uyghurs due to the language barrier. She further said, “In my workplace, there are 70-80 Uyghur policemen who either directly work as ‘ears’ or lead other civilian ‘ears’.”
The Turpan City Bazaar Police Station recruited two or three “ears” meaning spies to surveil the activities of residents during Ramzan. According to a policeman, some villages even have four to five spies, according to Radio Free Asia report. Police will carry out an investigation into those who previously violated the law by fasting during Ramzan as well as people who organize fasting activities, according to a police officer.
A staffer at the Turpan Prefecture Police Bureau said authorities there had spies working within the police to check if Uyghur officers were fasting from dawn to dusk. She said that they have so far not detected any officer who is fasting, as per the news report. A police officer from a police station in Turpan City said that this year’s policy includes home searches, street patrols and mosque searches. Authorities have been questioning Uyghur Muslim families to check if they are waking up before dawn to eat and gathering for a meal after sunset.