Ainijiang Tuerxun, the Hatip of the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar

My name is Ainijiang Tuerxun. I graduated from Kashgar Islamic School. Now I am the vice chairman of the Islamic Association of Payzawat County and the Hatip of the Id Kah Mosque in Baren Town of Payzawat County.

I saw from the news that the lying expert Pompeo started his vicious performance again on January 19, flagrantly smearing and slandering China’s religious policy and claiming that Xinjiang strictly restricts the freedom of religious belief. This is blatantly fact-distorting and truth-reversing. I firmly deplore and reject this.

Born in a Muslim family, I have personally felt the benefits of the government’s policy towards the freedom of religious belief. Our country is a law-based country where normal religious activities are protected. By law, no organizations or individuals shall decide whether a citizen should believe in religion or not. Religious belief is the choice of the individual and a personal affair. Weather to believe in religion, which religion to believe in and weather to fast are all determined by individuals. There is no one around me treated unfairly or discriminated because of their religious belief.

The reality is that the government attaches great importance to the protection and renovation of mosques. Both the places of religious activity made of adobe and the dilapidated buildings have been rebuilt into brick-frame and wood-frame houses. Besides, now the venues are also equipped with air conditioners, water dispensers, fire fighting equipment, medical supplies, shoe cover machines as well as flush toilets, book houses, clean bathrooms and other facilities benefiting the people. We are all satisfied for these guaranteeing the normal religious needs of religious believers.

During the epidemic prevention and control, the government was so concerned about the safety of the religious believers that some epidemic prevention measures were taken in the mosque. We strictly measured temperatures of the people who entered the mosque and guided religious believers of all ethnic groups to wear masks and keep a safe distance for their own and others’ health. Everyday, our personnel would keep the mosque clean and disinfect the inside and the outside of the mosque to ensure a safe environment for the religious believers of all ethnic groups to worship in. Meanwhile, we had our government to support free nucleic acid testings and deal with difficulties in life for us, and volunteers to help us with supplies and to dispose household waste.

Our government also pays great attention to the cultivation of Islamic clerical staff. From 2017 to 2019, I participated in lots of training in the Central Institute of Socialism, Xinjiang Islamic School, Kashgar Islamic school and other places. During the training, the teachers always reminded us of the fine traditions of loving our country and our religion in Islam and helped us fully and accurately understand the propositions of patriotism, peace, solidarity, integrity, tolerance and beneficence in Islam, and establish a right view of nation, culture, history and religion, and at the same time, uphold the right direction of adapting Islam to China’s conditions. After I graduated from Kashgar Islamic School, I serve as the Hatip of the Id Kah Mosque, so as to serve the religious believers, meet their religious needs and contribute to promote a united, peaceful and stable community in Xinjiang.

In terms of whether Xinjiang’s religious policy is good, no one but us, people who live in Xinjiang have the right to judge. I would like to say, Pompeo, you are like a huckster, lying out of nothing and you are so hypocritical and shameless. I believe people who have been to Xinjiang know the so-called truth in Pomepo’s mouth is just a thumping great lie. This notorious politician who sell himself by lying, deceiving and stealing will eventually be buried in his “final madness”.