China bans sets of Islamic names in Xinjiang region

The Chinese government has drafted a list of “overly religious” names and also banning parents in western China province of Xinjiang from naming their children Islamic names in an effort to dilute the influence of religion on life in the ethnic Uighur minority heartland.

The banned names which are related to historic religious or political figures and some place names includes "Muhammad," ''Jihad" and "Islam" which now joins the list of at least 29 names now banned in the heavily Muslim region, that is home to the nation’s Uighur Muslim ethnic minority. 

According to the ban, if a parent chooses one of the barred names, the child will be denied government benefits.

According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), the initiative is meant to diminish the public profile of religion, particularly Islam, in the region. 

The communist Chinese government has long considered religion a threat to its dominance and has, in recent years, imposed a series of initiatives to limit Islamic practices, in particular, in response to a series of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang and threats from outside jihadist groups like the Islamic State.