The veil is off as Beijing battles Xinjiang violence
ven beards are banned among the Uighur young amid accusations of discrimination
KASHGAR • The Silk Road trading centre of Kashgar has been Muslim for centuries, but despite hordes of people thronging the main bazaar, Gulnur's headscarf shop had barely any customers.
As violence increased last year in China's far western region of Xinjiang, home to mostly Muslim Uighurs, the authorities banned veils and other Islamic coverings - wreaking havoc on her business.
"We're all branded as terrorists because of a few bad people," said Ms Gulnur, who is Uighur. "The Chinese don't understand that we're not all the same. Regulations like this will only alienate people," she added.