(26 Aug 2014) VOICEOVER:
IN THE CHINESE PROVINCE OF XINJIANG, AUTHORITIES ARE CRACKING DOWN ON A LONG OBSERVED MUSLIM TRADITION... GROWING BEARDS.
THEIR FOCUS IS ON UIGHURS (wee-ghurz), AN ETHNIC MINORITY WHO OBSERVE ISLAMIC CUSTOMS.
BUT POLICE BLAME SOME UIGHUR SEPARATISTS FOR SEVERAL BOMBINGS AND STABBINGS.
WHILE MANY MEN OVER THE AGE OF FIFTY COULD BE SEEN CARING FOR THEIR LONG BEARDS... YOUNG MEN IN THIS UIGHUR (wee-ghur) NEIGHBORHOOD WERE CLEAN SHAVEN.
WHEN QUESTIONED BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ABOUT THE DIFFERENT PRACTICES -- THIS GOVERNMENT-APPOINTED MUSLIM CLERIC DODGED THE QUESTION.
YET A YOUNG MAN COULD BE HEARD SAYING OFF-CAMERA.. "WHY DON'T YOU TELL THEM THE TRUTH? IT'S BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T ALLOW BEARDS."
A POLICE OFFICER WHO HAD BEEN FOLLOWING THE JOURNALISTS, QUICKLY REPLIED, "BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY."
THIS QUICK EXCHANGE OFFERED A GLIMPSE INTO THE SIMMERING TENSIONS BETWEEN CHINA'S RULING COMMUNIST PARTY AND UIGHUR MINORITIES.
POLICE HAVE ALSO BEEN TARGETING UIGHUR WOMEN WEARING BURQAS... VEILS that COVER THEIR ENTIRE BODY.
SOME RESTRICTIONS ARE NOT NEW... YET THIS YEAR ENFORCEMENT IS ON THE RISE...
ONE MAN WHO DID NOT GIVE HIS NAME SAYS HE'S CONCERNED BY THE POLICE TACTICS.
SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Uighur local (no name given):
"It is all right that you detain bad people. But what do they mean by detaining so many people including good people?"
WANTED SIGNS FOR SUSPECTED UIGHUR TERRORISTS COULD BE SEEN.
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SAY THEY'RE TRYING TO CONTAIN ETHNIC VIOLENCE...
IN THE PAST 18 MONTHS, THEY SAY, HUNDREDS HAVE DIED FROM ESCALATING ATTACKS.
PADMANANDA RAMA, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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