China bans use of anti-Islam words on social media

TIL Desk/World/Beijing/ “Islamophobic” terms used by Chinese internet users to stigmatise Muslims have been blocked by authorities to prevent bias against Islam, official media reported today. China has over 21 million Muslims mostly the Uyghurs in Xinjiang and Hui community in Ningxia province, according to unofficial accounts.

“The Islamophobic terms invented by Chinese Internet users to stigmatise Muslims have been blocked by authorities on Chinese social media despite criticism from the netizens that such a ban overtly favourable to Muslim minorities,”.

China is currently carrying out massive crackdown against the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in the volatile Xinjiang province where Uygurs who formed majority were restive over the increasing settlements of Han community, the majority ethnic group constituting over 90 per cent of the country’s population.