Kurban Moidin, Imam of the Mosque in Nurbage Village, Paixianbaibaza Township, Xinhe County, Aksu

Recently, Mike Pompeo made remarks relating to Xinjiang，my hometwon, disregarding the facts, distorting the truth and fabricating from nothing, which wantonly slanders the human rights in Xinjiang and Chinese government's policies over Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. As an Imam of the mosque, I express here my strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to such remarks!

I was born in a peasant family. And as the Imam of the Mosque in Nurbage Village, Paixianbaibaza Township, I witnessed the rapid changes in Xinhe County. My family were leading a poor life when I was a child. At that time, we lived in adobe houses in the countryside, and walked on dirt roads that were full of sand in sunny days and mud in rainy days. There were few stores in the village, and there were fewer items sold in the stores. So we had to spend half a day driving a donkey cart to the county for living materials. Life was as boring as a picture of no color. But today, the asphalt roads around the house expand in all directions, and people all live in well-off houses with a TV in each house. Spacious and clean buses are available for everyone. The living and learning environment is getting better and better, and the people of all ethnic groups receive an increasingly stronger sense of acquisition, happiness and security.

Religious extremist thoughts once permeated and spread in Xinjiang in the past, and violent and terrorist activities occurred frequently, endangering the basic human rights of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, such as the right to life, the right to survival, the right to development and so on. At that time, women were not allowed to go to the streets, once found, they would be cut off the hair; and stores were not allowed to sell cigarettes and alcohol, which would be destroyed once spotted; men must do worship and those who refused would be beaten; children were not allowed to go to school run by the government; and people who were sick couldn’t go to the hospitals; the houses built with the help of the government were even said to be "not halal" and thus people cannot live in these houses. All these behaviors disturbed people, created contradictions, affected social order, and brought serious harm to people's life, property and rights. But nowadays, in order to protect the legitimate religious activities of religious people, the government has perfected the infrastructures of water, electricity, road, gas and so on of all religious places in Xinjiang, air conditioners and water dispensers have also been installed. The infrastructure and environment of religious places have been improved. Like other people, religious believers in Xinjiang nowadays also enjoy various policies of education, medical treatment, employment, housing and other policies that enrich the people. Free physical examination for all has been accessible to religious people every year. The freedom of religious belief of religious people has been fully realized.

However, the so-called "genocide" concocted by Pompeo recently is full of prejudice against China's policy over Xinjiang, which is aimed to wipe out Xinjiang's various development achievements. Pompeo’s remarks not only openly support and encourage the "three forces" but show the intention to work in collusion with them. He is like a clown jumping up and down on the world stage, challenging the bottom line of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang who safeguard the national unity and social stability. Pompeo’s purpose is to put the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang back in the panic of violent terrorist attacks and the spread of religious extremist ideas. However, such ugly acts will be rejected by the world.

There is a saying goes: The people pray for stability, the enemy for turmoil. Social stability and people's happiness are the greatest human rights. What I want to tell Pompeo is that please don't try to destroy our happy life on the pretext of human rights and religion. Such behavior can only result in sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind.