China bans beards and veils in Xinjiang

[sovietchild]

China Uighurs: Xinjiang ban on long beards and veils - BBC News

The measures include prohibiting "abnormally" long beards, the wearing of veils in public places and refusing to watch state television.

Now, getting punished for refusing to watch state television is bit harsh don't you think? In my house hold for example no buddy watches television, we don't even have cable. Where I'm from young generation does not really watch TV anymore, its not that popular anymore.

 

[Spiderman]

Weird laws!

I don't watch television either.

 

[Valjean]

Is the state going to provide TVs for those who don't have them?
How is the propaganda mandate going to be enforced?
Does state TV air the current season of Game of Thrones?

 

[sovietchild]

Is the state going to provide TVs for those who don't have them?

That's what I was thinking. What if they don't have a TV.

Banning beards is harsh too, you know. Beards are part of being human.

 

[Valjean]

That's what I was thinking. What if they don't have a TV.

Banning beards is harsh too, you know. Beards are part of being human.

I'm assuming they're trying to suppress a cultural norm. Here in the US the government once put native americans in state schools where their traditional dress, hairstyles and languages were forbidden.
China doesn't like the Uighurs. They don't like cultural diversity.

 

[danieldemol]

It's a bad idea, but how to convince a country like China which has so many humans it doesn't seem to value their rights as much as one would hope for?

 

[SomeRandom]

China Uighurs: Xinjiang ban on long beards and veils - BBC News

The measures include prohibiting "abnormally" long beards, the wearing of veils in public places and refusing to watch state television.

Now, getting punished for refusing to watch state television is bit harsh don't you think? In my house hold for example no buddy watches television, we don't even have cable. Where I'm from young generation does not really watch TV anymore, its not that popular anymore.

For once I agree. Banning beards is a bit extreme. And no one watches TV anymore. It's all streaming or Netflix. TV has been obsolete for decades.

 

[psychoslice]

I suppose China just had enough ?.

 

[George-ananda]

Wow, this shows the problems of a one party dictatorship that doesn't constitutionally guarantee a right to liberty. I am glad I live in the USA. I got pretty pissed at France's outlaw of the burqkini on the beach.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

I think this is rather cruel and pretty pointless. That said, I can sort of understand the Chinese government's motives (well, what I suspect are their motives) for doing this - it's the same reason they crack down so harshly on Islam & Christianity generally. Exclusivist religions such as these two more often than not tend to be vehicles for invading cultures - Islam forced Arab culture onto the Persians and pretty much every other culture outside of the Arabian peninsula that it encountered - and the same happened with Christianity. It forced a bastardised version of Roman culture on the Saxons & other northern European tribes first, then centuries later it basically destroyed the cultures of the indigenous populations of the Americas, Africa & Oceania.

Given the sheer level of harm this has caused to those native populations in a lot of cases, I can understand why the Chinese would want to restrict the potential of these faiths' to prosper in China.

The Tokugawa Shogunate formed at the end of the Warring States period of Japanese history banned Portuguese missionaries and Christianity for much the same reason.

 

[Valjean]

China bans terrorism.

And dissent, and diversity.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I wonder why China would suddenly start behaving in such a totalitarian fashion. I hope this doesn't lead to them engaging in further civil or human right's abuses. It's probably just limited to Muslims, as everybody knows that Muslims are victims the world over.

 

[Wu Wei]

I wonder why China would suddenly start behaving in such a totalitarian fashion. I hope this doesn't lead to them engaging in further civil or human right's abuses. It's probably just limited to Muslims, as everybody knows that Muslims are victims the world over.

China has had trouble with Xinjiang for years, this is not new. Does not justify the banning, frankly I agree with the video in the link, it just gives terrorists another excuse

 

[Notanumber]

I might be as bad as China when it comes to the Burka.

A while back, a woman wearing a Burka was on the checkout of a small local supermarket.

I could not help but avoid using that particular checkout.

I have not seen her for the last few weeks and wondered if other customers had also refused to use that isle on principle.

I know someone that has a managerial position in the NHS and he said that they interview women dressed in western clothing but as soon as they get the job, they arrive wearing Islamic clothing.

 

[Valjean]

I wonder why China would suddenly start behaving in such a totalitarian fashion. I hope this doesn't lead to them engaging in further civil or human right's abuses. It's probably just limited to Muslims, as everybody knows that Muslims are victims the world over.

It's not so sudden. China has widespread corruption and its legal and civil systems are a mess. Millions of people flock to Beijing every year with petitions and complaints about not being paid, abuse, evictions, land seizure, fraud, &al. They rarely get heard, and some petitioners end up in 'black jails'. Criminal trials are perfunctory, with little chance to mount an actual defense.
When China does try to liberalize a bit the public reaction seems to scare them and they crack down again, sometimes violently.

I might be as bad as China when it comes to the Burka.

A while back, a woman wearing a Burka was on the checkout of a small local supermarket.

I could not help but avoid using that particular checkout.

I have not seen her for the last few weeks and wondered if other customers had also refused to use that isle on principle.

I know someone that has a managerial position in the NHS and he said that they interview women dressed in western clothing but as soon as they get the job, they arrive wearing Islamic clothing.

probably just a Presbyterian that hit on a novel way to avoid long lines.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

It's not so sudden. China has widespread corruption and its legal and civil systems are a mess. Millions of people flock to Beijing every year with petitions and complaints about not being paid, abuse, evictions, land seizure, fraud, &al. They rarely get heard, and some petitioners end up in 'black jails'. Criminal trials are perfunctory, with little chance to mount an actual defense.
When China does try to liberalize a bit the public reaction seems to scare them and they crack down again, sometimes violently.
probably just a Presbyterian that hit on a novel way to avoid long lines.

Apologies. I thought the sarcasm was thick enough to be unavoidable.

 

[Valjean]

Apologies. I thought the sarcasm was thick enough to be unavoidable.

 

[sovietchild]

Banning beards is not new. Russian king once banned beards. But forcing people to watch TV is futuristic.