Xinjiang’s Islamic association slams so-called human rights bill

Muslim religious leaders in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are also the victims of extremists and terrorists as several Uygur religious leaders have been murdered or received threats, the regional Islamic association said. The religious extremists who choose to take the life of innocent people to achieve their goals are the greatest threat to Islam, the regional Islamic association said.

In the past, the spread of extremism and terrorism in Xinjiang led to frequent occurrence of terrorist attacks in the region. A large number of people, including common Uygurs and several Islamic religious leaders, were killed in the violent attacks. The religious extremists have betrayed the Muslims' pursue of peace. They are the greatest harm to Islam and despised by Muslims, the Xinjiang Islamic Association said in a statement on Thursday, voicing its firm opposition to the passage of a Xinjiang-related bill by the US House of Representatives.

The bill has distorted and discredited the human rights of Muslims in Xinjiang and the association is firmly opposed to its approval, according to the statement released after the so-called "Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019" was approved by the US House of Representatives on Tuesday local time.

To prevent people who were once infected with extremist or terrorist thoughts from becoming religious extremists who ignore the law, sabotage social order and even kill innocent people, Xinjiang has set up the vocational training and education centers in accordance with the law. The trainees' traditions are fully respected at the centers. They enjoy a variety of quality halal food, it said.

Majority of the graduates have found employment and the quality of their life has also improved. According to the Quran, God will forgive those who repent of their wrongdoings, it said.

The region has always ensured that Muslims' demand for religious activities is fully met. Xinjiang now has more than 20,000 mosques for more than 10 million Muslims. There are also 10 Islamic institutes around the region with 1,100 students who will provide better religious services to the followers in the future, the association said.

Furthermore, more than 50,000 Muslims from Xinjiang have made pilgrimages to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, by attending the government-organized tours since 1996, it added.

Also on Thursday, the China Islamic Association also expressed strong indignation over and firm opposition to the passage of the bill.

Since the 1990s, the extremism, terrorism and separatism forces have incited religious fanaticism by taking advantages of the faithful followers. By spreading religious extremism, they have fooled many followers to carry out violent terrorist attacks, according to a statement issued by the association.

The bill has ignored facts, smeared and groundlessly criticized the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese government's Xinjiang policies, it added.