In an effort to clamp down on religion and extremism, the Chinese government has sent more than a million Chinese people to move into the homes of Uighur Muslim families to watch for signs of Islamic extremism or unpatriotic beliefs, the U.K.'s Independent reported.
"Had a Uighur host just greeted a neighbor in Arabic with the words 'Assalamu Alaykum,' that would need to go in the notebook," according to American anthropologist Darren Byler, per the report. "Was that a copy of the Quran in the home? Was anyone praying on Friday or fasting during Ramadan? Was a little sister's dress too long or a little brother's beard irregular?"
If a Muslim refused cigarettes or alcohol, as devout ones do, it could have been a signal for extremism, according to the Independent.
China has rounded up as many as a million Uighurs and placed them in "re-education centers," which urge Muslims to renounce Islam while praising the Chinese Communist Party and force Muslims to eat pork and drink alcohol, per the report.
The one-week visitors refer to themselves as "relatives" and have been sent to those who have been detained in the "re-education" centers, the Independent reported.
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