Abdulahat Ismail, former trainee of the Vocational Education and Training Center of Shorebagh District in Hotan City

Recently, I heard that Pompeo, when departing office, still issued Xinjiang-related fallacies, declaring that China had committed "genocide and crimes against humanity" against Uygur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang. I am so outraged by his groundless remarks. As a trainee of a vocational education and training center, I firmly oppose such evil remarks.

My name is Abdulahat Ismail, 46-year-old, born in an ordinary worker's family in Hotan City. I am now a shareholder and the head of a washing factory in Hotan. I want to share my past experience, present life and future plan. I received college education, worked as a civil servant, and later resigned to start my own business. A man named Mamat Abrah often took care of my business, and I regarded him as a so-called "friend". During the business dealings, he often filled me with extremism ideas. Later I learned that he was seriously infected by religious extremism. Gradually influenced by his extremism ideas, my temper was getting worse and worse, and I didn't want to do business. I sometimes deliberately found fault with other people, scolded, insulted and even bullied them.

In the vocational education and training center, I had a very happy life. The center provided help and aid through education, with the goal of educating and rehabilitating people infected with extremism ideas or guilty of minor crimes in order to prevent them from falling victim to terrorism and extremism. With the kind and sincere help from teachers, I made great progress in Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language. I mainly learned the Constitution, and other laws or regulations such as criminal Law, the regulations for family planning, marriage law, education law, and regulations on de-radicalization. During my days in the center, I could ask for a leave any time if necessary, and eat nutritious halal diet of various kinds for free. From the training, I got to understand that, if I had not been trained in the center, I would have fallen into the abyss of crime. At the thought of this, I felt very regretful about my past actions. Meanwhile I felt very lucky, because I got to how to tell right from wrong and figured out what behavior is legal and what behavior is illegal. I turned to become bright and cheerful. After graduation, with governmental support, I opened a washing factory with some other trainees from the vocational education and training center. Benefiting from the preferential policies in taxation, labor subsidies and employment training, my business is getting better and better, and we are all working energetically to help more people improve their livelihood.

As one who was born and raised in Hotan, I have witnessed its tremendous changes over the years. The changes could be found in every aspect, including housing condition, transportation, and ecological environment, etc. And now we have access to the preferential policies on compulsory education, medical insurance, housing, and targeted poverty alleviation, and so on. We can always feel the care and concern of the Party and the government. We, former trainees, are all sincerely grateful for the help the vocational education and training center rendered. With the help, we could bid farewell to the unbearable yesterday, live a happy life today, and will have a hopeful tomorrow.

Pompeo’s so-called "genocide and crimes against humanity" against Uygur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang is sheer nonsense. As a trainee of vocational education and training center, I think, I am in the best position to judge. I have never seen and heard about the "genocide" in Xinjiang, nor have I seen any Muslim being bullied or oppressed. Just imagine that, even those who were infected with extremism ideas like me have suffered no prejudice. Instead, the government has spared no effort to save us. They try every means, whatever money or manpower, to continuously upgrade the status, rights and livelihood of our ethnic minorities. They spend time and energy on us, offering free food, helping us learn vocational skills, and supporting our business. Do you believe in the so-called “genocide” rumor? Pompeo, we are living a happy life, and nobody likes a backseat driver! Attempts to sabotage ethnic relations are bound to fail.