SHANGHAI
The capital of a restive northwestern Chinese province that is home to the Uighur Muslim minority has banned face-covering veils from being worn in public spaces.
Local media reported Thursday that the People's Standing Committee in the city of Urumqi approved a regulation prohibiting the wearing of veils and robes that cover the face in public.
The ban will be presented to the People's Standing Committee of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and if approved, will be implemented across the province, according to news portal Tianshan.
A yearlong "anti-terrorism’’ campaign -- focusing on Xinjiang -- was launched by China’s central government on May 23 and will be in effect until June 2015.
Uighur, a Turkic group which constitute around 45 percent of the population of Xinjiang, have accused China of carrying out repressive policies that restrain their religious, commercial and cultural activities.
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