Deadly attacks rocked the Xinjiang region of China this summer. The bombings were attributed to Muslim separatist groups advocating for independence. Now, four local governments in the same area have placed restrictions on the Muslim holiday Ramadan citing the need to protect social stability. These limitations range from banning women from wearing veils and men from growing beards to barring certain groups of people, such as students, teachers, and government officials from observing Ramadan.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” said senior Paul Miller, who studied abroad in the Yunnan province last year. “The Chinese government is not putting restrictions on any other religion. Christians can practice, but not the Islamic minority.”

The government justified the crackdowns as a means to maintain stability in the region.

“I do not agree that such oppression promotes ‘social stability,’ as the authorities claim, because limiting people’s freedom to practice core tenets of their religion only amplifies dissatisfaction with the colonial state apparatus,” said Eric Mortensen, assistant professor of religious studies.

“In the short term, the Chinese government has the means to clamp down on communal aspects of religious life, and perhaps they believe that such actions will keep the peace, but in the long run the Chinese will likely find that the resentment such actions breed in the local Uighur populace will make social stability harder to achieve.”

The Uighur, one of the country’s 56 ethnic groups, has a long history of being oppressed by the dominant Han, which continues to this day.

The Uighurs are a Turkic people living primarily in the Xintiang region. They are also one of two Muslim ethnic groups in the country.

“China has endeavored to consolidate control of its western provinces, including Xinjiang and Tibet, partly through the settlement of Han people in the regions-now a majority population in both regions-and partly through assimilation and the tight control of local religious and social institutions,” said Mortensen.

The cause for the conflict between the Uighurs and the Han lies in their diverse origins. The Uighur speak a different language and have their own customs and culture.

“(The Uighur) have a completely different understanding of the world compared with China,” said George Guo, associate professor of political science.

These basic differences, coupled with the Han’s alleged attempts to destroy Uighur culture, have led to the formation of radical separatist groups. The East Turkestan Islamic Movement and The East Turkestan Liberation Organization are two of the most prominent; both have been accused of using terrorism to further their cause for independence.

Some believe that these organizations used the Beijing Olympics as an opportunity to draw attention.

“When the Olympics came, they saw it as a chance to humiliate the government,” said Guo. “They put bombs to attract world attention.”

In turn, the Chinese government also used the attention to their advantage. Under international scrutiny, the government sent troops into Xintiang.

“Now the Chinese government feels more comfortable,” said Guo. “Before, they might not have done that. Now, they have to protect people, prevent terror.”

The restrictions placed on Ramadan are China’s latest steps to maintain unity and stability.

“The state fears any allegiance to an authority-such as a religious authority-other than the state is tantamount to action toward independence,” said Mortensen. “However, the state’s ensuing repression of religious freedoms only escalates the antagonism felt toward state control.