China refutes reports of issuing directive to Muslims to hand in copies of Quran

China has dismissed the reports that all copies of the Quran and prayer rugs in Xinjiang were directed to to seized as part of a crackdown against extremists in the restive province.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lu Kang, told reporters that the situation in Xinjiang was "sound" and the local people are working and living in peace.

"We hope relevant parties refrain from making groundless allegations and rumours," he added.

It was earlier reported that the Chinese authorities were ordering the Muslims in the country to hand over their prayer mats and copies of the Quran or else face punishment.

The officials in the Xinjiang province had allegedly warned members of the Uyghur ethnic minority that they must surrender religious items on pain of "harsh punishments".

The directive also applied to ethnic Kazakh and Kyrgyz Muslims, the RFA said.