Bringing enormous harm to the local population

Through conversations with local residents in south Xinjiang, I learned about the various persecutions endured by the people of there due to religious extremist ideologies.

For example, many young Uygurs, even if they come from poor families, where the social status of Uygur women is particularly low, are unwilling to learn modern skills or the national language. In rural areas, there are many jobless Uygur youth who, when the government arranges work for them, find excuses to decline, ultimately because they consider the government-recommended jobs as "haram," believing that taking government wages would "defile" their faith. Many women are deprived of opportunities to work outside the home either by society or their families, with the rationale that "women cannot show their faces in public." Women also have to tolerate their husbands' infidelity.

Furthermore, many young girls, some as young as a few years old, are wrapped in tight "religious attire." Dozens of them have reportedly lost their lives in underground religious schools due to negligence in care, with the youngest victim being only three years old.

In 2018, during my research in Yecheng County, Kashi, I heard that 15 fathers had willingly sent their underage daughters to a 50-year-old underground religious leader to serve as concubines, believing that "serving" this imam was a supreme honor for the family. The fate of these girls was tragic: The villagers told me that only one of these girls has survived. The others either succumbed to abuse or died due to illness or complications during childbirth (as they refused to seek medical treatment at the hospital). Disciples trained by this so-called imam later became involved in several violent terrorist incidents.

Obstructing the religious freedom of the Xinjiang population

Religious extremists often package their political intentions within religious doctrines, which are highly inflammatory, deceptive, and seductive. Due to their religious devotion, religious communities are often defenseless against embellished extremist religious ideas.

In the process of being lured, deceived, and incited by religious extremist ideologies, believers are drawn into a belief system that is not only different from but even contrary to normal religious beliefs. This can transform them into "monsters" capable of disregarding life and inflicting harm even on their own kin.

Before the local de-radicalization efforts began, many people told me during my research in south Xinjiang that "religion" was now different from what they understood it to be in the past.

One of the believers said: "I think religious faith is a personal matter. Allah is in my own heart, and I don't need to prove my faith to anybody else. But now, when we dine out, we have to find some mullah or imam to come in and do some readings, to prove that we are devout Muslims. But they actually have a quite average knowledge of Islam, and often make indiscriminate remarks. But out of respect for my friends, I can't say anything; I just pretend to go along with it."

One Muslim woman told me: "I grew up in Hetian, and when I was a little girl, I could freely wear sleeveless tops and shorts when going out. But now, if I wear short sleeves or don't wear a headscarf, I could be verbally or physically attacked by others, accusing me of breaking our traditions. It wasn't like that when we were young."

A non-religious individual told me: "During Ramadan, when people are fasting, I dare not eat or drink in public, even if I'm not fasting myself. People will scold me or even physically assault me. You can't even find a place to eat on the street; restaurants dare not open. This is the atmosphere in society. We have no choice but to pretend to fast even if we don't believe, just to survive here."

In China, citizens have the freedom to believe in religion or not; they have the freedom to believe in different religions or different sects within the same religion. However, as religious extremism has grown, it has seriously disrupted the normal work and life of both religious and non-religious populations, severely infringing upon people's freedom of religious belief.

As a result, persecuted and disrupted populations naturally express their dissatisfaction by directing it towards erroneous understandings of ethnicity and religion. This easily leads to prejudices and opposition between different ethnic groups and believers of different faiths, ultimately demonizing Islam.

For example, local governments encourage businesses and restaurants to operate normally during Ramadan to ensure the regular production and livelihood of the general population. However, due to an invisible societal pressure many businesses choose to close during Ramadan, resulting in economic losses and dissatisfaction with Muslim communities. The government's encouragement, in the eyes of those influenced by religious extremism, is misconstrued as "government interference in religious beliefs, preventing Muslims from observing Ramadan," which is a misguided perception.

De-radicalization: widely recognized consensus in the international community

Faced with a series of challenges from religious extremism, which is not genuine religion, over a long period, the Chinese government decided to take firm legal measures. The essence of de-radicalization lies in countering splittism and infiltration issues, which are unrelated to specific ethnic or religious groups.

In 2017, the Regulation on De-radicalization in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was promulgated by the regional government. It clearly defines "radicalization" as speech and behavior which propagates radical religious ideas and rejects or disrupts normal work and daily life. The regulation presents specific descriptions of behaviors related to religious extremism.

Elsewhere in the world, there is already a basic consensus on the relationship between religious extremism and violent terrorism, and many countries advocate taking multiple measures for de-radicalization.

For example, the UK government introduced a new counter-terrorism strategy in June 2018 aimed at reducing the risks of terrorism to British citizens and their interests overseas, which emphasized early intervention for individuals affected by extremist ideologies. The Australian government is also committed to preventing and combating violent extremism, working closely with communities to resist various forms of extremism whether motivated by political, religious, or racial ideologies.

China, drawing on international counter-terrorism experience, has responded to the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in the form of a resolution by adhering to the double principles of prevention and crackdown. This approach entails not only severely cracking down on terrorist violence but also tackling the root causes. Through improving people's livelihoods, strengthening legal education and publicity, and establishing vocational education and skill training centers in accordance with the law, among other measures, China aims to maximize the protection of its citizens' basic human rights from terrorism and extremism. This preventive counter-terrorism approach is entirely legitimate and has been widely recognized.

A number of rumors have spread in the West about China's vocational training centers. The truth is that for individuals who have committed relatively minor offenses under the influence of religious extremist ideologies, the focus is on education and protection. The goal is to help them learn the national language, understand the law, and acquire vocational skills. This approach emphasizes "saving" rather than harsh punishment and provides guidance and transformation through care rather than disdain. On the other hand, for incorrigible and unrepentant leaders and key members of a small number of extremely violent terrorist groups, strict punishment such as prison will be applied in accordance with the law to ensure the maximum protection of citizens' basic human rights.

I conducted relevant research three times at vocational training centers located in Hetian and Kashi. I noticed that after a period of professional training, the trainees were proficient in operating various kinds of machinery and equipment, and they acquired the ability to use the national language. Many trainees told me that it was exciting to be able to recognize more Chinese characters. After learning the difference between lawful and unlawful religious activities, one trainee said that he felt as if he had awakened from a dream. Looking back, he thinks that his previous thoughts and actions seem incredibly foolish and laughable. He feels like he was brainwashed before, completely losing himself.

In 2023, during field research in Hetian Prefecture, I met a young Uygur woman named Azguli from Lop County. She had previously suffered persecution from religious extremism, but later, along with many other Uygur youth in Xinjiang under the employment assistance and poverty alleviation program, received skills training and career guidance. She has become a well-known micro-entrepreneur in the region by fusing traditional Atlas silk patterns with modern elements and mass-producing them through satellite factories.

In order to support ethnic minority entrepreneurs like Azguli and encourage them to continue upskilling unemployed rural youth, the local government allocates special funds every year in subsidies. Today, Azguli's clothing company sells its products far and wide, both within and outside Xinjiang. She is also frequently invited to cities like Guangzhou and Shanghai to exchange experiences and learn more. She told me: "I am now very confident and happy to lead Uygur young women who, like me, once suffered from religious extremism, to step out of their homes, build their own careers, and pursue happiness!"

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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