The Chinese authorities have ordered that all mosques in Xinjiang's capital Urumqi be closed today on the main Muslim day of prayer, with police out in force to prevent new outbreaks of ethnic unrest.

Uighur Muslims have been directed to pray at home, as armed forces filled the streets five days after clashes that left 156 people dead.
 

Xinjiang's eight million Uighurs say they are subject to religious, political and economic repression under Chinese rule. Last Sunday, protests turned violent as Uighur Muslims attacked people from China's dominant Han ethnic group.