What is Xinjiang really like?

III

The coexistence of multiple religions is a historical feature of Xinjiang, where different religions mingle and co-exist in peace and harmony. The peaceful and tranquil environment allows people to enjoy the solace of faith in their heart. Today, the freedom of religion in Xinjiang is unparalleled in any historical period.

People sing together to celebrate the Corban Festival in Awat County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 10, 2022. (Photo/ Guangming Picture) 

Shortly before our trip, Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, visited Xinjiang, triggering an uproar in the West.

Renowned religious leaders in Xinjiang have recently written by email to Bachelet, expressing their firm confidence that freedom of religious belief is guaranteed in Xinjiang in accordance with the law.

In the letter, Abdurekhev Tumuniyaz, president of the Xinjiang Islamic Association and director of the Xinjiang Islamic Scripture Institute, wrote that in Xinjiang, all legal religious activities in religious places and in people’s own homes according to religious customs, such as worshiping, fasting and celebrating religious holidays, are taken care of by religious groups and believers themselves, and are protected by law. No organization or individual may interfere.

Vice president of Xinjiang Islamic Association Hatifu Abhisan Tursunyaz, from Hotan’s Gabai Mosque, wrote that in the past few years, the local governments built, relocated and expanded some mosques, therefore the mosques today feature a more reasonable layout, they’re also much safer and more popular in the religious community and believers. At present, the mosques in Xinjiang are fully able to meet the needs of the religious masses.

Imam Muhatirem Xirifu, another vice president of Xinjiang Islamic Association from the Yangxing Mosque in Urumqi, wrote that religious sites in Xinjiang continued to improve, mosque infrastructure was modernized with a full range of equipment, which brought greater convenience to believers.

The facts stated in these letters and the views expressed are widely supported by the religious community in Xinjiang.

Photo shows the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo/ Guangming Picture)

With a history of nearly 600 years, the Id Kah Mosque stands in the bustling downtown area of Kashgar and is the largest mosque in Xinjiang. We met there with vice president of the Xinjiang Islamic Association Maimati Guma, who was from the Etigar Mosque.

Maimati Guma began by telling us, “On July 15, I had the honor of meeting and having a photo taken with General Secretary Xi Jinping, who came to Xinjiang for a visit. I was introduced to him by Chairman of the autonomous region, Elkun Tuniyaz. General Secretary Xi greeted me with a big smile. At the time I was so excited that I burst into tears.”

“Later I saw on TV that the General Secretary said that we should adhere to the direction of localizing Islam and adapting it to the socialist society. I was deeply educated. And as religious figures, we must remember General Secretary Xi Jinping’s ardent wish, always feel the Party’s benevolence, listen to the Party, follow the Party, and unite all believers firmly around the Party and the government,” said the emotional Maimati Guma.

Maimati Guma was born in the 1970s. His father, Guma Tayir, used to be the imam of the Etigar Mosque, who was committed to preaching the Islamic concepts of peace, solidarity, moderation and tolerance. Eight years ago, he was killed in a brutal attack by a mob outside the mosque after finishing the morning rituals.

“I was more than saddened by my father’s death, then I became more determined than ever to carry on my father’s legacy and be a patriotic religious figure. The teachings of Islam advocate that Muslims and people of all races must live in harmony and obey the law. I want all believers to abide by Islamic rules, embrace peace, unity and resist extremism.”

According to Maimati Guma, the Party and the government have spent a lot of money to restore the Etigar Mosque to its past glory. “They care about religious people in their life, work and political participation, and I was elected as a deputy to the National People’s Congress, so I have to live up to the trust of the people; they also attach importance to cultivating more religious figures, and there is a group of young believers ranging from their 20s to 30s in my mosque as well as the mosques around us”, he said.

“I get up every morning at 6 a.m. to go to the mosque and lead the morning rituals. Then I go to the library at the mosque to read books, mainly religious and Mandarin books. I now spend much time to learn Mandarin with the help of cell phone software and dictionaries, and I hope that the next time you come back, I will be able to converse in more fluent Mandarin.”

Deputy Imam Abbas Mehmeti of the Etigar Mosque also happily accepted our interview. He went right to the point: people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang fully enjoy the freedom of religious belief, and people are completely free to choose between believing and not believing in Islam. Their freedom has been respected in the past and at present.

We also visited other famous mosques in Xinjiang: the Urumqi Yangtsing Mosque, Hotan Gabai Mosque, Yili Baidullah Mosque, Yining Hui Grand Mosque, and Aksu Maigulan Mosque. We’ve seen people worship at regular times of the day. Although we could not understand their prayers, we could feel their inner peace and freedom from their calm and pious expressions.

When looking at religious freedom in a country or region, we have to comprehensively look at its religious policy, its social environment, and the state of believers. In Xinjiang today, people of different ethnicities are living happily in peace, harmony, solidarity and social stability thanks to appropriate religious policies.

Abdurekhev Tumuniyaz, president of the Xinjiang Islamic Association and director of the Xinjiang Islamic College of Scripture, said “Allah gave us two ears and two eyes so that we can hear and see more; but he gave us only one mouth, so we should speak with factual truth. Today, the freedom of religion in Xinjiang is unparalleled in any historical period in the past.”

To draw a simple comparison, the number of Muslims in the US is 1/3 of that in Xinjiang, while the number of mosques is 1/10 that of Xinjiang. Freedom of religion is seriously infringed upon in the US and discrimination and persecution against Islam are omnipresent.

Islam is the most discriminated religious belief in the US. According to surveys, 82 percent of Americans believe that Muslims are discriminated against in the country, and 63 percent agree that believing in Islam would stifle opportunities for personal development in American society. Hate crimes against Muslims amount to the hundreds each year. Shortly after winning presidential election, Donald Trump signed the notorious “Muslim Ban”. The US has spared no effort to spread the “Islamic threat" theory around the world, stigmatizing Islamic civilization and labeling it as “backward”, “terrorist”, “violent”, etc. This has seriously damaged the national dignity and international image of Islamic countries, and violated the personal freedom and religious belief of Muslims.

Worse still, the US has set up covert prisons overseas in the name of counter-terrorism, arbitrarily detained hundreds of thousands of Muslims. In Afghanistan, detainees were subjected to “torture, abuse, rape and sexual violence”. The Quran was desecrated to damage the will of Muslim prisoners, no prisoner’s dignity was respected given the reckless torture and cruelty they endure.