Major mosques close in Urumqi
Five major mosques near the center of violence last weekend in Urumqi, the capital of China's far-west Xinjiang region, were closed Friday morning, state-run media reported. "Mosques in some sensitive areas were closed at their imams' suggestion," an official in charge of religious affairs with the Xinjiang regional government said Friday. "Muslims normally perform rituals at home in time of plague or social unrest." Friday is the main day of worship for Muslims.
Note EU-Digest: AFP reported that thousands of fearful people poured into bus and train stations to escape China's Urumqi city after the deadly ethnic unrest, as several mosques were ordered shut for the main Muslim day of prayer today. Authorities said they had put on extra bus services out of the capital of China's remote Xinjiang region, but demand far outstripped seats and scalpers told AFP they were charging up to five times the normal face price for tickets. The Chinese government said 156 people were killed and more than 1,000 others injured, as Uighurs attacked people from China's dominant Han ethnic group. But Uighur exiles said security forces over-reacted to peaceful protests and used deadly force. They said up to 800 people may have died in the unrest, following the security crackdown.
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