Law-abiding religious activities are fully protected in China and the Muslims are free to perform their religious practices as per Quran and Sunnah, said Dilmurat Omar, Dean Xinjiang Normal University.
Religious activities are on rise in China in recent years and the Chinese government fully respects religious sentiments of the people, he said while addressing a media seminar held here Friday. The seminar, organized by the local information department of the State Council was participated by senior journalists form the regional countries, including Pakistan.
Muslims in China perform religious rituals including Haj and fasting as per their traditions and the Chinese government facilitates them to do so, Dilmurat said adding all laws and regulations in China are aimed at promoting social stability and ensuring security and well-being of common citizen.
The religious activities are growing with a passage of time. Overall there are about 35,000 mosques and more than 50,000 teaching faculties in various parts of the country. Accordingly, the number of Islamic clergies has increased to 28,000.
Majority of Muslims are living in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region where there are about 24,100 mosques and 30,000 teaching faculties, which work freely to promote teaching of Quran and Sunnah without any kind of restriction. The Chinese Muslims are also facilitated by the government to visit Mecca to perform Haj. The government supports the Chinese Muslim Associations to undertake their religious tasks.
The Central and the Xinjiang’s administration fully respects and guarantees people’s free choice of religion. Imams and religious leaders help the common Muslims to properly understand and interpret Quran. He made it clear that extremist thoughts or violent terrorism is not Islam by any nature. All the Muslims fully stand by the government in curbing three evil forces- religious extremism,
The Chinese Communist Party and the government vigorously work for promoting social and religiously harmony among all sects and harmony between believers and non-religious and they are successful in maintaining complete unity among them.
The government, he added expects from the religious people that they will look at religious issues scientifically and deal with religiously affairs legally in harmonious manner, maintaining overall unity of Chinese people. The government has always been asserting for sectarian equality, mutual respect and non-interference in the religious belief.
Dilmurat Omar further said ethnic split and illegal religious activities being two major threats affecting Xinjiang’s stability. There is no hesitation or ambiguity among the religious circles for the dire need of fighting against terrorism and extremism. They resolutely follow law of the land as peaceful citizen of the country.
He quoted a recent statement of President Xi Jinping which says, legal religious demands of worshipers should be guaranteed such as construction of mosques, preaching of religion, publishing of religious books and safety of religious sites. President Xi had also called for renovation of important historical religious buildings and sites.