9JABREEZELAND

As a way of putting a check on religious extremism, the Chinese government has banned long beards and veils in public places. This is a continuation of the Government's crackdown against what it deems as religious extremism in the far-west province of Xinjiang, which is home to 10 million Muslims. The latest measures outlined in a sweeping new anti-extremism legislation take effect Saturday and come on the heels of a series of steps to increase surveillance in the region that include the surrender of passports and mandatory GPS trackers in cars. “They’re doubling down on security in Xinjiang,” said  James Leibold, an associate professor at Australia’s Le Trobe University, whose research focuses on China’s Uyghur minority.