The governor of China's restive Xinjiang region has said Islamist militants were trying to ban laughter at weddings and crying at funerals.
Writing in the official Xinjiang Daily, Governor Nur Bekri also appealed to people to stamp out the 'tumour' of extremism.
Xinjiang has been beset by violence for years, blamed by the government on militants and separatists.
According to Dawn News, Bekri added that the acts of terrorism had been made possible by extremists taking advantage of people's faith.
He wrote that in order to incite fanaticism and control believers, religious extremists have blatantly distorted religious teachings.