China officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is the world's most populous country, with a population of over 1.3 billion. Covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometers, the East Asian state is the world's second-largest country by land area, and the third - or fourth-largest in total area, depending on the definition of total area. The People's Republic of China is a single-party state governed by the Communist Party of China. Its capital city is Beijing.
China: key issues
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The prosecution of Muslims in China |
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The restrictions on Chinese Muslims are all - encompassing, and very stringent: The edicts touch on every |
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facet of a Muslim's way of life. Official versions of the Quran are the only legal ones. Imams may not teach |
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the Quran in private, and studying Arabic is allowed only at special government schools. Two of Islam's |
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five pillars - the sacred fasting month of Ramadan and the pilgrimage to Mecca called the hajj - are also |
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carefully controlled. Students and government workers are compelled to eat during Ramadan, and the |
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passports of Uighurs have been confiscated across Xinjiang to force them to join government-run hajj tours |
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rather than travel illegally to Mecca on their own. |