The Urumqi town has been seeing bloody violence in the last one week, which saw over 156 people losing their lives and over 600 people badly injured. The town has been facing violent attacks on each other communities, between Han Chinese and Uighur Muslims.
Now the Chinese authorities have pushed in more troops into the town and have also banned the Friday prayers in Urumqi towns , for today, as a safety measure. The authorities do not want any scope for another round of violence in the city, and hence the action.
From next week , the prayers could be allowed as usual, provided peace returns to the town.