The Al-Azhar has condemned the Chinese authorities for forbidding the Muslims of East Turkestan from fasting during Ramadan, according to media reports.
It has also reiterated in a statement on Friday its rejection of all forms of oppression practiced against Muslim in Uighurs, China, in terms of depriving them of their religious rights and personal freedoms.
The statement called on the Chinese authorities to cease all violations against Muslims, and on the international community, the United Nations and human rights organizations to intervene immediately to stop these violations that are contrary to all international norms and conventions.
China's ruling Communist party is officially atheist and has for years banned fasting for the Uighur Muslim minority, to which rights groups said has added to ethnic tensions in the region, where clashes have killed hundreds in recent years.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
