Uygur Muslims are enjoying religious freedom. “I pray five times in Etigar Mosque, main mosque of Kashgar city, Xinjiang. Not only me, but all Uyghur Muslims pray freely here. I have never experienced any religious ban on Muslim faith or Muslim rights,” said Mr Mehmat, a local Uyghur. In a face-to-face interaction as he emerged from the Etigar Mosque Mosque, he categorically dismissed rumors of state-sponsored repression of Uyghur Muslims, saying talk of creepy surveillance and illegal detentions were completely false and misleading people. When talking with the President of the Institute of International Relations and Media Research (IIRMR), who led a delegation of 15 Pakistani journalists to Kashgar, Mehmat made a categoric remarks that Uyghurs are hundred percent free, safe and secure here.  He said that apart from daily life, marriage, and education, their religious activities, including prayers and Islamic norms, were not hindered by any means, and further replied, “We Uyghurs enjoy a good quality of life, and the government provides all basic civic amenities.  Our people are prospering, with ample employment, business and trade opportunities.”

During conversation with Etigar Mosque Imam (prayer leader), he called the atrocities and rights violations against Uyghur Muslims as pack of lies. He said that as a prayer leader, he has been associated with the mosque for the past eight years without any intimidation or repression from negative media propaganda in the West. He said life of lie is always short and truth is destined to prevail. “Hence, more foreign visitors will pour in Kashgar to observe personally facts with interacting general public, more such propaganda will be busted and those who are behind the game of misinformation will be exposed sooner or later,” he added.

Local Chinese official also told that city of Kashgar, also known as Kashi, is home of around nine thousand mosques. None of mosques were demolished but renovated, for the convenience of local Uyghur Muslims. On query, he also labelled rumors regarding ban on having beard by men and wearing veil by women as absurd, saying government always respects religious sentiments of Uyghur Muslim community. Etigar Mosque is located on the west side of Etigar Squar in Kashi. It was built in the Ming Dynasty in 1442 and was expanded three times in 1573, 1787 and 1873. In 1962 it was announced as an autonomous region-level key cultural relics protection site by the people’s government of the autonomous region.   It was later announced as national-level key cultural relics protection by state council. 

This fully demonstrates that China implements the policy of freedom of religious belief and protect citizen’s freedom of belief in accordance with the Law. Seeing is believing. Always ground realities are oppositive to hearsays particularly fake campaigns. Same is the case with Uyghur Muslim community in Kashgar, ancient city of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northwest of the country at the crossroads of Central Asia and East Asia.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China