This policy first came to light when Uighur activists showed a list of the banned names to the daily. Among the other 20-plus names banned in the “List of Banned Ethnic Minority Names” are Mujahid and Medina.

The ban was later confirmed by officials, who said that the new policy was effective from this month.

The restriction on the Uighur people was said to be part of ongoing efforts by the Chinese government to contain religious fervour in the western part of Xinjiang. The region is home to more than 10 million Uighur, a Muslim minority ethnic group.

This is not the first time that the Chinese government has imposed restrictions on Muslims.

Last June, the Independent of UK reported how the Chinese government had imposed a ban on civil servants, teachers and students from fasting during Ramadan.

Earlier this month, AFP reported how a Chinese official who declined to smoke in front of Muslims was demoted for taking an “unstable political stance”.

“His behaviour of ‘not daring’ to smoke conforms with extreme religious thought in Xinjiang,” a local official told the Global Times newspaper.

The Chinese government restricts religious practices – such as growing beards, wearing headscarves, and fasting during Ramadan – in Xinjiang because they are seen as symbols of “Islamic extremism”.

While the government claims such extremism and violence are the reason for the restrictions, the Uighur people claim it is the limits themselves which are the cause for the tensions in the region.

According to NYT, an official said that any Muslim family not complying with the new restriction on Muslim names risk having their child not being able to enrol in school and also being denied healthcare.

“China’s policies are increasingly hostile. Uighur people have to be cautious if they want to give their children names they are happy with, and at the same time avoid punishment from the government,” World Uyghur Congress spokesman Dilxat Raxit was quoted as saying by NYT.