Chinese authorities have launched a new crackdown on halal products in the name of fighting extremism in Xinjiang province, home to about 10 million Uighurs, a Muslim minority that speaks Turkish in the northwest.
Supporters of the campaign claimed that the new laws came to regulate the food trade sector, not only in Shengiang, but in all Muslim-majority regions.
It was published by local social media in the provincial capital of Urumqi, which is said to be a division of party members in the region, declaring their allegiance to Marxism-Leninism, and that they will fight the halal phenomenon firmly until the end.
According to a memorandum published by the official account of the city on the Web site, China's most popular messaging site, the leaders of the Communist Party of Urumqi led its cadres to "fight a decisive battle against Halal foods."
The government-run Global Times newspaper on Wednesday criticized the labeling of products such as milk, toothpaste and others as "halal".
"The general tendency towards Halal products blurs the boundaries between religion and secularism, and it is therefore easy to fall into the quagmire of religious extremism," the paper quoted experts as saying.
China faces strong criticism from rights groups and foreign governments, amid reports of severe punitive measures in which 1 million Uighurs have been detained.
China denies systematic violations of the region's Muslim rights, saying it only takes tough measures against "extremism" and "separatism" in the province.
A report issued by the US Congress last Wednesday said that the Chinese authorities are carrying out an "unprecedented" crackdown on minorities, including Uighur Muslims, and authoritarian government methods are causing a deterioration of the human rights situation in the country.
Last year, China banned "very long beards" and veils in Shengyang, and ordered all car owners in the area to place GPS devices for electronic tracking.