Campaigns aimed at discouraging Uyghur women to wear headscarves are enforced regularly in the most traditional Uyghur areas of Khotan and Kashgar and occasionally lead to outbreaks of violence, like in the summer 2011 in Khotan, when deadly clashes between Uyghur demonstrators and police erupted. The tones of these political and social campaigns, which stress the âbeautiful womenâs hairâ and the âright to make them wave in the windâ, are particularly adverse to the Muslim concept of woman, even if it should not be completely alien to the traditionally soft Uyghur Islamic religion.
Socio-Economic Development in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, p. 151
In place of Islamic veils, the CCP has promoted colorful ätläs fabric, embroidered doppa hats, and braided hair as ânormalâ symbols of Uighur femininity. To help set these fashion standards firmly in place, XUAR officials launched âProject Beautyâ in 2011: a five-year, $8 million dollar campaign aimed at developing Xinjiangâs fashion and cosmetics industries while encouraging Muslim women to âlook towards âmodernâ cultureâ by removing their veils. Fashion shows, pageants, and lectures on ethnic policy, ethnic attire, and social etiquette seek to persuade Uighur women to âlet their beautiful hair flow and show their pretty faces.â