The capital of Xinjiang banned the burqa in public places

Uighur Muslim women

The capital of Xinjiang banned the burqa in public places

One observer said the burqa ban in public places could heat up the atmosphere in Urumqi.

Government capital of Xinjiang, Urumqi, in western China plans to ban the wearing of the burqa in public places.

State media proclaim Urumqi authorities have agreed to ban the burqa, as part of an effort to eliminate the Islamic dress in areas inhabited by the ethnic Uighurs.

The majority of the Uighur Muslim women wear the veil that reveals the face as a whole, but the more you wear the burqa-like in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan-which only reveal part of the eye alone.

The official Xinhua news agency said the burqa ban in public places has been approved by parliament Urumqi, Wednesday (10/12).

The Chinese government has accused the Islamic separatist groups as the cause of a wave of violence that killed hundreds of people in the past two years.

Uighur activists say the Chinese government's repressive policies, which among other things does not recognize cultural diversity, the cause of the warming of the atmosphere in Xinjiang.

China expert at La Trobe University in Melbourne, James Leibold, said this pelarang "can heat up" the atmosphere and add to tensions in Urumqi.

Told Reuters news agency, said the ban could be Leibod "symbol of resistance". (BBC)