What is the essence of religious extremism?

Over the past few decades of rapid development, Xinjiang has experienced thousands terrorist incidents planned and organized by the three forces (of separatism, extremism and terrorism) from both inside and outside the country. Among these, the most representative, and the one with the most severe impact, was the violent rioting that took place in Urumqi on July 5, 2009. The common cause behind these incidents is religious extremism.

Religious extremism in Islam is characterized by extreme exclusivity and fanaticism, with strong anti-government tendencies, advocating for "jihad" to disrupt normal societal order.

For instance, religious extremism distorts the doctrine of "Allah's uniqueness" among religious believers, claiming that Muslims must "obey Allah alone," and "not believe in anything else but Allah." Before the terrorist incidents in Ili on February 5, 1997 and in Urumqi on July 5, 2009, a small group of religious extremists preached that the Chinese government was illegitimate because it was not established according to the will of Allah. Therefore, paying taxes and engaging in taxable business activities, worshiping under a government-appointed imam, receiving a state-issued marriage certificate, and women's participation in the workplace were all considered "haram" ("illegal" and "strictly prohibited").

These extremists incited the masses to destroy all government-issued documentation, including identification cards, work permits, marriage certificates, driver licenses, business licenses, treasury bonds, and even renminbi. In addition, by "brainwashing," they completely "washed away" the previously held benevolent beliefs of ordinary believers, such as patriotism, abiding by the law, filial piety, and so on. They systematically instilled the masses with a great deal of extremist ideology. Concepts like "holy war" were presented as orders: To save the nation, it was necessary to oppose the rule of "infidels" (non-believers); anyone who obstructed this was labeled an "infidel," including their own parents and relatives... These extremist ideologies transformed ordinary religious followers into estranged and violent individuals who even disowned their own relatives.

The truth is that Islam is a religion of peace, containing many teachings that embody values such as truth, goodness, and beauty. Religious extremism claims to be Islamic but completely contradicts religious teachings; in fact, it is not Islam at all. The true purpose of religious extremists is not to promote Islamic teachings or defend the interests of religious communities, but rather to achieve their own political and economic goals through violent and terrorist activities under the guise of religion.

Chinese Moslem leaders and believers have never asserted that there are two Allahs. They differ from religious extremists in that the majority of them, while believing in Allah, do not reject modern civilization, and never advocate overthrowing governments. On the other hand, religious extremists incite the masses to resist the government, show deep hatred towards patriotic religious groups and religious figures, and even resort to assassination to strike at them. On July 30, 2014, after presiding over the morning service, Imam Juma Tahir, the 74-year-old Vice Chairman of the Xinjiang Islamic Association and Imam of the Id Kah Mosque in Kashi, was brutally murdered by three terrorists.

In addition, the spread of religious extremist ideologies has not only disrupted the normal work and life of all people in Xinjiang but have also caused serious damage to the relationships between different ethnic groups. For example, during my research in south Xinjiang, I found that interethnic marriages, especially between Uygur and Han people, are very rare. The pressure of public opinion created by religious extremists was the biggest obstacle to interethnic marriages.

I have learned from a few intermarried couples that most of these couples got married before the 1970s, when societal attitudes towards interethnic marriages were relatively tolerant and when there was no pressure. However, with the spread of religious extremism, these intermarried couples had a high divorce rate, and their children were considered low status within the Uygur community, often facing discrimination and exclusion.

During the research, I also learned that in south Xinjiang, in areas like Hetian and Aksu, 92.46% of urban Uygur residents and 83.62% of rural Uygur residents are unwilling to marry individuals from other ethnic groups. This unwillingness primarily stems from internal societal pressures within their own ethnic group. An interviewee told me, "They are Han Chinese; they are different from us. They don't have 'Imani' (Islamic beliefs). If my child marries a Han, I will be shunned by our family and neighbors." When asked about marrying someone from the Hui ethnic group, he said, "That's not acceptable either. Although they are Muslims, Hui people are essentially Han people who follow Islam and are not the same as us." I also observed another phenomenon: Societal attitudes towards intermarriage between Uygurs and foreigners are tolerant, even if the foreigner is not a Muslim.

From this we can see that religious extremism does not genuinely adhere to religious beliefs. There is only one ultimate purpose behind its rhetoric and behavior: to create ethnic conflicts and divisions and finally cause national fragmentation.

The author is Remina Xiaokaiti, an associate professor at School of Marxism Xinjiang University.

Liu Xian /Editor    Yan Yixun /Translator

Yang Xinhua /Chief Editor    Liu Xian /Coordination Editor

Liu Li /Reviewer

Zhang Weiwei /Copyeditor    Tan Yujie /Image Editor

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