ISLAMABAD: China has ensured the freedom of religious beliefs in Muslim majority area of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, with no restrictions of any sort by the government on routine religious activities by Muslims, or followers of any other religion, said Ma Pinyan, Research Fellow at the Institute of Religious Studies at Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences. “Every citizen enjoys the freedom to believe in a religion or not to believe; the freedom to believe in different religions as well as different sects of a religion; the freedom to convert to another religion and the freedom to stop believing in religion at all,” Ma Pinyan said at a briefing to a select group of journalists. “No organization, group or individual can compel the citizens to believe in or not to believe in any religion nor can they discriminate against citizens who believe in or do not believe in any religion,” he added. The scholar on religious affairs told the journalists that all religious activities are protected under the Chinese law. He said there is no bar on holding of routine religious gatherings at religious venues, founding of religious schools in line with country’s rules and regulations, publishing of religious books and journals, selling of religious commodities and artwork, etc. He said the government protects citizens’ freedom of religious belief and legitimate benefits of religious groups. He said all the western propaganda against restrictions on religious practices in the country is baseless and false. However, he explained that politics and religious belief are separated in China. “No one can interfere with administration and law by using religion. Religion can’t be used to challenge the leadership of the Communist Party of China and socialism and to damage the unity of the country and solidarity among all the ethnic groups,” he maintained. The scholar said that Xinjiang government arranges charter flights every year to take Muslims to Makkah in Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage. He said the government funds medical care and interpretation services for the pilgrims. During the holy month of Ramadan, owners of halal food restaurants themselves determine whether they want to open their outlets or not and the state has zero interference in it. During the Spring Festival, Eid al Fitr, Eid al Azha and other major festivals, all ethnic groups can enjoy statutory holidays and are supplied with special foodstuffs, he said, and added that the central government has allocated special funds to maintain and renovate religious sites, including the Eidgah Mosque in Kashgar, Baytullah Mosque in Yining, Jiaman Mosque in Hotan, Yanghang Mosque in Urumqi and the Tomb of Fragrant Imperial Concubine (Apak Hoja Mazzar) in Kashgar. He said special funds have been allocated to protect and edit Muslim holy books, such as Holy Quran and “Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): A Biography”. To a question about religious extremism, Ma Pinyan said extremism has no religion. “But, extremists try to use religion. By nature, extremism is anti-human, anti-society, anti-civilization and anti-religion … it is an important ideological foundation for violent and terrorist activities,” he said. The scholar said religious extremism has become increasingly rampant in the international arena with frequent acts of terror and violence. He said the September 11 terrorist attacks in US, November 13 terrorist attacks in France and March 22 terrorist attacks in Belgium have severely undermined world peace and regional security. He said religious extremism has grown and spread in Xinjiang as well in recent years. He said extremist elements have carried out a series of terrorist attacks in China, including knife attack at a train station in Kunming on March 1, 2014; May 22 bombing of a market in Urumqi in 2014; multiple attacks in Shanshan on June 26, 2013; attacks in Shache on July 28, 2014, and the September 18, 2015 terrorist attacks in Baicheng. He said the ‘de-extremisation’ policy adopted by Xinjiang government has effectively contained the spread of religious extremism and made a great contribution to international fight against terrorism. Ma Pinyan said there are six religions in Xinjiang: Islam, Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Christianity, Catholicism, Taoism and Orthodox. “Islam is the religion with the most ethnic groups (10) and believers (8 million). Religious venues such as mosques, churches, Buddhism and Taoism temples amount to 24,800. The total number of mosques is 24,400; Buddhism temple are 59; Taoism temple is one; churches are 227; Catholicism churches are 26 and Orthodox churches are three in number. The total number of religious institutes is eight, including Xinjiang Islamic Institute and Xinjiang Islamic Scriptures Institute,” he concluded.