Daily Times

Nineteenth lie is that China systematically transferred 80,000 Uygurs out of Xinjiang and assigned them as “forced labor” to factories in other provinces. Fact check is that local governments at all levels have taken active measures to help those in need of secure employment. The measures include creating job opportunities nearby, facilitating work in other areas in Xinjiang, or transferring work forces to other provinces and cities paired up to assist Xinjiang. Such measures have helped residents rise above poverty through employment and lead fulfilling lives, while guaranteeing various ethnic groups’ right to labor and employment.

Since 2018, 151,000 people in poverty-stricken families in southern Xinjiang have secured jobs away from their homes. Most of them worked in other parts of Xinjiang, while about 14,700 worked outside the region with the help of fellow villagers and relatives, or through human resources agencies.

Regarding 10th lie that Xinjiang forced a large number of Uygurs to pick cotton, contaminating the global supply chain, fact check is that earlier cotton picking mechanism was manual now it is done through machines. Rest of things are merely concocted story.

In reply to 11th lie that Xinjiang adopts an assimilation policy towards ethnic minorities in an attempt to systematically eliminate the Uygur culture, truth is that all ethnic groups in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region enjoy full freedom to preserve or reform their own customs and habits. The cultural heritage of all ethnic groups has been protected in Xinjiang.

Mosques in Xinjiang meet the regular religious demands of followers in terms of quantity. Governments at various levels in Xinjiang have consistently improved the public services of mosques

Twelfth lie is that some places in Xinjiang destroyed graveyards of ethnic minority groups and Fact check is that with the economic and social development and the improvement of people’s living standards in Xinjiang, governments at all levels have stepped up the planning and construction of public welfare cemeteries. Cemetery facilities and their environment are continuously improving. People of different ethnic groups in some places have relocated graveyards of their own free will.

13th lie is that the Chinese government sends children of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang to boarding schools and “forces” them to be separated from their parents. In contrast, fact check is that the Compulsory Education Law of the People’s Republic of China that also prevails in Xinjiang stipulates: “Where necessary, the people’s government at the county level may set up boarding schools to ensure that school-age children and adolescents who are dwelling in scattered areas receive compulsory education.”

As per 14 lie that Schools in Xinjiang replace ethnic languages with Chinese to “brainwash” the students. Xinjiang has banned ethnic minority students from using their own languages and closed schools of the Uygur language. Realty check is that while promoting education in the Chinese language, Xinjiang also offers courses in the spoken and written languages of ethnic minority groups in accordance with the national curriculum plan for primary and secondary schools.

Lie No. 15 is that Xinjiang suppresses ethnic minorities under the pretext of fighting terrorism. Truth is that Fact check in the face of a complicated counter-terrorism situation and the demands from people of all ethnic groups to stop terrorism, China’s Xinjiang region has taken a series of active measures. Responding to the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and other counter-terrorism resolutions, Xinjiang has upheld the principle of not linking terrorism with any particular region, ethnic group, or religion. Xinjiang has reported no violent terrorist cases for more than four consecutive years.

Lie No. 16 is that The “fanghuiju” campaign, in which civil servants are dispatched to grass-roots communities to offer help to people of various ethnic groups, as well as the “ethnic unity campaign” and solidarity activities among cadres and people of different ethnic groups, are all adopted by Xinjiang with the aim of intervening in and monitoring Uygur families. Fact check is that Xinjiang has been carrying out the “ethnic unity campaign” and solidarity activities among cadres and people of different ethnic groups since 2016. More than 1.1 million cadres and workers of different ethnic groups have paired up with 1.6 million people of different ethnic groups as “relatives” and made friends with each other.

Another seventeen lie is that Xinjiang monitors Uygur Muslims through ubiquitous cameras, mobile phone apps, the internet and other high-tech means. Reality is that in accordance with the law, Xinjiang has installed cameras in urban and rural public areas, major roads, transportation hubs and other public places in order to improve social governance and effectively prevent and crack down on crime. According to the South China Morning Post, a new study found that Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands are among the top 10 countries in terms of the number of surveillance cameras in the world.

Besides lie No. 18 is that Chinese embassies and consulates have refused to renew the passports of overseas Uygur people, forcing them to return home to face extrajudicial detention or imprisonment. Fact check is that Chinese citizens’ personal freedom and rights of exit and entry are protected by law. As long as they are Chinese nationals and admit themselves that they are Chinese citizens, and do not violate Chinese laws and regulations, they can apply to the Chinese embassy or consulate where they live for the renewal or replacement of passports.

Lie No. 19 is that the Chinese government bans foreign journalists from going to Xinjiang for reporting. Fact check is that Xinjiang is an open place. Foreign journalists are allowed to report in Xinjiang on condition that they abide by Chinese laws and go through relevant procedures, according to the Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on News Coverage by Permanent Offices of Foreign Media Organizations and Foreign Journalists. Lie No. 20 is that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights will be restricted from visiting Xinjiang. Fact check is that China welcomes the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to visit China and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and has always maintained close communication with the United Nations.

In reply to 21th lie that Xinjiang suppresses Islam and freedom of religious belief. And reality is that Xinjiang has translated and published religious classics and books, such as the Koran and Selections from Al-Sahih Muhammad Ibn-Ismail al-Bukhari, in Mandarin Chinese, the Uygur, Kazak and Kirgiz languages, providing convenience for religious believers of all ethnic groups to acquire religious knowledge.

Lie No. 22 is that Xinjiang demolishes many mosques. Fact check is that Mosques in Xinjiang meet the regular religious demands of followers in terms of quantity. Governments at various levels in Xinjiang have consistently improved the public services of mosques.

Lie No. 23 is that Xinjiang “persecutes” religious personnel. Fact check is that the cultivation and training of clerical personnel have been strengthened in Xinjiang. The region has ten religious colleges and schools, including the Xinjiang Islamic Institute, its eight branches in places like Kashgar, Hotan and Ili, and the Xinjiang Islamic School. Lie No. 24 is that Xinjiang bans fasting of Muslims. Fact check is that Muslims of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, in accordance with their teachings, canons, and traditional customs, practice regular religious activities such as fasting and Islamic festivals in mosques and their own homes.

The writer is freelance journalist