Escape from a forced 'marriage'

"I had no choice but to obey the man I was forced to wed, otherwise he would beat me with the handle of a spade. He didn't allow me to go to the hospital when I was sick because it was built by the Han Chinese, who are unbelievers," she said.

The spread of religious extremism has led to terrorist attacks in Xinjiang, resulting in the deaths of large numbers of innocent people. Personal safety has become a concern for both locals and visitors to the region, which covers one-sixth of China's territory.

"People from other areas who haven't lived with the constant fear of terrorism can't understand how instability has severely affected local people's lives," said Adil Abudulani, deputy head of Yutian county in Xinjiang's Hotan prefecture.

Gulbahar Arken loves music, so she hid a small radio and listened to programs when her "husband" was not around. One time he caught her. "He was so angry he smashed the radio on the ground. Then he hit me across the head with the spade for bringing a forbidden item into the house," she said.

To survive, Gulbahar Arken said she had no choice but to live in accordance with the "rules" of religious extremism. However, she managed to escape from the religious leader three times and finally obtained a "divorce" about a year later. The religious ceremony for the "divorce" was even shorter than the one for their "wedding".

Although Gulbahar Arken escaped the "marriage from hell", she still attended illegal prayer sessions led by extremists, and started spreading their teachings to other people. "I didn't know what else to do. Following them (the extremists) was the only thing I knew," she said, adding that she had no idea her behavior was illegal.