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China bans Urumqi mosque prayers

China has ordered mosques in its restive western city of Urumqi not to open for Friday prayers.

The order comes after a week of ethnic violence between Uighur Muslims and Han Chinese, which has left at least 156 people dead.

Thousands of troops remain in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, to try to maintain order.

The Chinese authorities have vowed to administer "severe punishment" to those involved in the riots.

Many mosques have been closed since the fighting broke out on Sunday.

An unnamed government official told the AFP news agency that the order not to open for prayers on Friday, the holiest day of the week in Islam, was given on public safety ground.

"For the sake of public safety, all of the mosques have told people that there will be no Friday prayers and that people should stay at home today and pray," she said.

A Uighur man outside the Hantagri mosque said he had heard that prayers had been banned but there was "nothing we can do".

"The government is afraid that people will use religion to support the three forces," said the man, identified as Tursun.

The "three forces" is a term used by the Chinese government for separatists, terrorists and extremists.

However, an ethnic Han woman in Urumqi said it was obvious that the mosques had to remain closed.

"Just look at all the damage that has been done. This is a patriotic move for the sake of the well-being of all the ethnic groups," she said.

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Urumqi says the government has clearly decided it is better to risk upsetting Muslims in Xinjiang by banning prayers than to allow tens of thousands of people to gather at mosques.

'Al-Qaeda links'

The violence began on Sunday when Uighurs rallied to protest against a deadly brawl between Uighurs and Han several weeks ago in a toy factory in southern Guangdong province.

Officials say 156 people - mostly Han - died in Sunday's violence.

Uighur groups say many more have died, claiming 90% of the dead were Uighurs. They say security forces overreacted to peaceful protests.

More than 1,400 people are thought to have been detained.

The atmosphere remains tense, with troops in place across city and armed police surrounding Uighur neighbourhoods, says our correspondent.

Ethnic Han vigilante groups have been threatening to take revenge, leaving many Uighurs afraid to leave their homes, he adds.

On Thursday, China said it had "a great deal of evidence" that some of those involved in the violence had "training from foreign terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda".

Foreign ministry official Qin Gang did not say what the evidence was, but said the groups were "inextricably linked with three vicious forces from abroad".

Beijing has also accused US-based Uighur leader-in-exile Rebiya Kadeer of organising the disorder. She has denied the allegations.

Tensions have been growing in Xinjiang for many years, as Han migrants have poured into the region, where the Uighur minority is concentrated.

Many Uighurs feel economic growth has bypassed them and complain of discrimination and diminished opportunities.