In order to prevent Uyghur Muslims from fasting during the holy month of Ramzan, Chinese police have begun utilizing spies.

According to Radio Free Asia, which cited a police officer from a suburb close to Turpan, or Tulufan in Chinese, in the eastern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the spies, or ‘ears’ as Chinese officials refer to them, are drawn from regular civilians, police officers, and members of local committees.

The policeman said, “We have many secret agents”.

China began prohibiting Muslims in Xinjiang from fasting during Ramadan in 2017 when officials began arbitrarily imprisoning Uyghurs in ‘re-education’ camps in an effort to denigrate Uyghur culture, language, and religion.

In 2021 and 2022, the Chinese government partially loosened the prohibition, allowing fasting for those over 65 and reducing the frequency of police home searches and street patrols.

This year, the Chinese government has outlawed fasting for all people, regardless of their age, gender, or line of work.

According to a constable from Turpan City Bazaar Police Station, Chinese officials summoned 56 Uyghur citizens and former inmates during the first week of Ramzan to question them about their activities and claimed that 54 of them had broken the law by fasting.

He and the other cop at the station would not talk about what happened to people who were found to have broken the law.

According to officials, police stations in Turpan have hired two or three spies from each village to keep an eye on persons who have been previously interrogated and arrested for fasting during Ramadan and those who have been freed from prison.

The police officer from a neighborhood close to Turpan said, “Our ‘ears’ came from three fields — the common inhabitants, the police, and the neighborhood committees”.

She claimed that because of the linguistic issue, they hired Uyghurs to spy on other Uyghurs.

“There are 70 to 80 Uyghur policemen who either directly work as ‘ears’ or direct other civilian ‘ears’ in my workplace”, she added.

To monitor locals’ Ramzan activities, the Turpan City Bazaar Police Station hired two or three ears or spies.

A policeman claims that some villages have up to five spies.

Also read: Study: Intermittent Fasting Impairs Sperm, Fertility & Egg Quality