新疆的宗教信仰自由状况(五)

五、开展宗教对外交流

在坚持宗教独立自主自办原则的同时，新疆还在相互尊重、平等友好的基础上，积极与世界各国宗教组织进行交往交流。对所有尊重中国主权、尊重中国宗教独立自主自办原则的外国宗教组织和个人，新疆各级政府和人民始终持开放和欢迎态度。

开展宗教学术文化交流。新疆宗教界代表多次参加国际学术交流会和研讨会，教职人员和宗教院校学生多次在国际上举办的《古兰经》诵读比赛中获奖，展示了新疆宗教界深厚的文化和学术底蕴。

派员到国外留学深造。2001年以来，新疆先后选派70 多名宗教院校学生和教职人员赴埃及艾资哈尔大学、巴基斯坦国际伊斯兰大学等高校留学深造，提高宗教学识和教务水平。政府多次慰问留学人员，并设立奖学金。

积极开展“请进来”“走出去”。邀请沙特阿拉伯、土耳其等国宗教人士、华人华侨到新疆和内地考察。外国宗教组织和团体也多次应邀到新疆进行友好访问。组织“中国新疆文化交流团”赴中东、大洋洲、欧洲国家开展交流。新疆宗教代表团多次出访埃及、沙特阿拉伯、土耳其、巴基斯坦、马来西亚、韩国、日本、新加坡、德国、丹麦等国家，还参加了中国伊斯兰教协会在印度尼西亚、土耳其等国家举办的“中国伊斯兰文化展演”活动，向国际社会特别是伊斯兰世界介绍新疆经济社会发展、宗教信仰自由的真实情况，增进相互了解与友谊。

六、防范和打击宗教极端

宗教极端主义打着宗教旗号，鼓吹极端激进观点，采取极端手段，妄图建立神权统治。宗教极端主义不是宗教，它与宗教是利用与被利用的关系。其本质是反人类、反社会、反文明、反宗教。宗教极端主义是滋生暴恐活动的重要思想基础。冷战结束后，宗教极端主义在国际上日趋活跃，频繁制造暴恐活动，如美国“9·11”、法国“11·13”、比利时“3·22”等恐怖袭击事件，严重危害世界和平和地区安全，成为当代国际社会的毒瘤。

受国际宗教极端主义思潮影响，近些年来，宗教极端主义在新疆滋生蔓延。宗教极端主义违背和歪曲宗教教义，以歪理邪说蛊惑蒙骗公众特别是青少年，把一些人变成完全受其精神控制的极端分子和恐怖分子。宗教极端势力策划、实施了昆明“3·01”、乌鲁木齐“5·22”、鄯善“6·26”、莎车“7·28”、拜城“9·18”等一系列严重暴力恐怖事件，残害包括宗教人士和信教公民在内的各族无辜群众。大量事实表明，宗教极端主义已成为危害国家统一和民族团结，破坏宗教和睦与社会和谐，影响新疆社会稳定和长治久安，危害各族人民生命财产安全的现实危险。

宗教极端主义是世界人民的共同敌人。反对宗教极端主义是各国政府的应尽之责，也是各国人民包括宗教界和信教公民义不容辞的责任。新疆开展“去极端化”，防范和打击宗教极端，是维护国家和人民根本利益的正义之举，也是国际社会应对宗教极端主义的重要组成部分。

树立正信正行。积极倡导宗教团体和宗教人士把宗教中的爱国、和平、团结、中道、宽容、善行等思想贯穿到解经讲经活动中，弘扬中华文化劝人向善、教人立德、慈悲为怀等理念，引导信教公民确立正信正行、抵制宗教极端。

坚持依法打击。依据《中华人民共和国刑法》《中华人民共和国反恐怖主义法》等相关法律法规，对宣扬恐怖主义、极端主义或煽动实施恐怖活动、极端主义活动的，坚决予以打击。

坚持现代文明引领。用现代文明引领各民族文化发展繁荣，用积极健康、丰富多彩的文化活动满足各族人民日益增长的精神文化生活需求。积极引导宗教与社会主义社会相适应，坚决防止利用宗教干预行政、司法、教育等社会事务。

大力改善民生。加快经济社会发展，大力实施民生工程，推动共同繁荣进步，提高各族人民生活水平和医疗、教育、就业等社会保障能力，消除滋生极端思想的土壤，夯实抵御宗教极端主义的社会基础。

加强国际合作。积极开展有益于促进中国与世界各国了解和传统友谊的交往交流活动，稳步推进与有关国家的合作，坚决打击“东突”恐怖势力。借鉴国际社会在防范宗教极端思想渗透、“去极端化”、打击网络恐怖主义等方面的经验。积极参加反恐多边合作机制。开展不同文明对话，挤压宗教极端思想生存空间。

新疆开展的“去极端化”工作，有效遏制了宗教极端主义渗透蔓延的态势，对国际社会“去极端化”及防范、打击恐怖主义，对维护世界和平与发展作出了积极贡献。

(待续)

V. International Religious Exchanges

While adhering to the independence and selfmanagement principle, Xinjiang engages in active communication and exchanges with other religious organizations worldwide on the basis of mutual respect, equality and friendship. Governments at all levels in Xinjiang and the Xinjiang people are open-minded and welcome all foreign religious organizations and individuals that respect China's sovereignty and the principle of independence and self-management of China's religious affairs.

Carry out religious academic and cultural exchanges. Representatives from Xinjiang religious circles have participated in many international academic meetings and seminars, and clerical personnel and students from religious schools in Xinjiang have won prizes at many international Koran recitation contests, demonstrating the sound cultural and academic foundation of Xinjiang's religious circles.

Send people to study abroad. Since 2001 Xinjiang has sent more than 70 religious school students and clerical personnel to Egypt's Al-Azhar University, Pakistan's International Islamic University and other overseas colleges and universities for further study, with a view to improving their religious knowledge and teaching level. The government has visited the students and personnel many times, and established scholarships for them.

Promote "welcoming in" and "going global". Religious personnel and overseas Chinese from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other countries have been invited to Xinjiang and the inland areas of China. Foreign religious organizations and groups have also been invited to Xinjiang for friendly visits. The government in Xinjiang has organized the "China Xinjiang Culture Exchange Group" for exchanges with countries in the Middle East, Oceania, and Europe. Xinjiang religious delegations have visited Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Germany, Denmark and other countries many times, and participated in the "China Islamic Culture Expo & Art Show" held by the Islamic Association of China in Indonesia, Turkey and other countries, introducing to the international community, especially the Islamic world, Xinjiang's economic and social development, freedom of religious belief and other facts, and enhancing friendship and mutual understanding.

VI. Preventing and Combating Religious Extremism

Religious extremists, in the name of religion, spread radical and extremist views, and take extremist means to try to establish a theocracy. Religious extremism is not religion, but tries to make use of religion. It is by nature anti-human, anti-society, anticivilization and anti-religion, and is an important ideological foundation for violent and terrorist activities. Since the Cold War religious extremism has become increasingly rampant in the international arena, frequently committing acts of terror and violence, for instance, the September 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., the November 13 terrorist attacks in France, and the March 22 terrorist attacks in Belgium. Those attacks have severely undermined world peace and regional security, and become a malignant tumor in contemporary international society.

Affected by international religious extremism, religious extremism has grown and spread in Xinjiang in recent years. Religious extremism betrays and distorts religious doctrines, deludes and deceives the public, particularly young people, with their fallacies, and changes some people into extremists and terrorists completely under its control. Religious extremist forces have designed and carried out a series of severe violent and terrorist attacks in China, including a knife attack at a train station in Kunming on March 1, 2014, the May 22 bombing of a market in Urumqi in 2014, multiple attacks in Shanshan on June 26, 2013, attacks on July 28 in Shache in 2014, and the September 18 terrorist attacks in Baicheng in 2015, injuring or killing religious personnel and believers and other innocent people. Facts show that religious extremism has become a real danger that undermines national unity and ethnic solidarity, sabotages religious and social harmony, impairs social stability and peace in Xinjiang, and endangers the life and property of people of all ethnic groups.

Religious extremism is the common enemy of all humanity. It is the undeniable obligation of all countries and all peoples, including religious believers, to fight against religious extremism. Xinjiang has adopted a policy of "de-extremization" to prevent and combat religious extremism, which is a just act to safeguard the fundamental interests of the country and the people, as well as an important part of the battle of the world community against religious extremism.

Establish proper faith and conduct honest deeds. Xinjiang encourages religious organizations and believers to promote patriotism, peace, unity, moderation, tolerance and benevolence through their sermons and preaching, spread the Chinese cultural concepts of advising people to perform good deeds, teaching people morality and being merciful, and lead religious believers in maintaining proper faith and honest deeds, and resisting religious extremism.

Crack down on terrorism and extremism in accordance with the law. Xinjiang cracks down on the propaganda of terrorism and extremism and the incitement of terrorist and extremist activities in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, such as the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China and the Counterterrorism Law of the People's Republic of China.

Uphold the role of modern civilization. Modern civilization leads the cultural development and prosperity of all ethnic groups, and active, healthy and enriched cultural activities meet the people's growing intellectual and cultural needs. Xinjiang takes active measures to make religions to adapt to socialist society, and prevents the use of religion in interfering in the administrative, judicial, educational and other social affairs.

Improve the people's well-being. Xinjiang facilitates its economic and social development, implements livelihood projects, promotes common progress and prosperity, improves the living standard, health care, education, employment and other social aspects of all ethnic groups, prevents the breeding of extremist thoughts, and consolidates the social foundation for resisting religious extremism.

Strengthen international cooperation. Xinjiang conducts activities for better understanding and promotion of the traditional friendship between China and other countries, promotes cooperation with related countries, and fights East Turkistan terrorist forces. It learns from the world community's experience in the prevention of the proliferation of religious extremism, "de-extremization" and the combat against cyber terrorism. It also actively participates in multilateral anti-terrorist cooperative mechanisms, conducts dialogues between different cultures and restricts the scope of religious extremism.

The "de-extremization" adopted by Xinjiang has effectively contained the spread of religious extremism, and made a great contribution to international "deextremization", prevention of and combat against terrorism, and world peace and development.