|
Title: China Going Muslim - Have your say View count: 1123 Rating: 5.0 (8 ratings) Description: Just like other nations, China is going Muslim very rapidly. What are your views/comments about this issue? BEIJING, July 11 -- Mosques opened Friday for prayers in most places in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, except for the capital Urumqi where some were shut for security reasons. Muslims in Urumqi were persuaded to perform their weekly congregational prayer at home following Sunday's deadly riot that killed at least 156 people. Government said mosques in some sensitive areas were closed at their immas' suggestion for saftey considerations. Some smaller mosques, however, remained open for the Friday prayer, known as Jumu'ah, the most important prayer for the Muslims. China's largest mosque, the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar City, which located in a boarder city Kashgar in northern Xinjiang, remains open for the Jumu'ah. Soundbite: Xinhua correspondent "This is the broader city Kashgar, in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region. It is an important town along the ancient silk road. Here most of the residents are of Uygur ethnic group and Muslims." Muslims here had their normal prayers in mosques. In another boarder city Yining in western Xinjiang, almost one thousand Muslims attended the prayer at Baytulla Jameh Mosque. The prayer started in the afternoon and went smoothly and peacefully. Soundbite: Gong Yidong, Xinhua correspondent "It is July 10, 2009. I am standing now before one of the biggest mosques in Yili City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. And its the first weekly prayers after riots broke out in Urumqi on Sunday. We can see that the believers are performing their duties in a smooth way." Jumu'ah is a congregational prayer that Muslims hold every Friday. It generally lasts over an hour. Courtesy: Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Urumqi, Yining, Kashgar. (XHTV) Tags: islam, muslim, mosque, us, uk, china, eu, Author: NewsPulse |
