Abdurehit Abriz，Imam of Semali Village, Quluhai Town, Yining County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture

My name is Abdurehit Abriz, an imam of the mosque of Semali Village of Quluhai Town of Yining County. Recently, Pompeo concocted that "the freedom of religious belief of the Muslims in Xinjiang is restricted”, which infuriated me greatly.

I was born and raised in Yining County of Xinjiang, a religious believer. Whether our rights of religious belief are fully protected, I know better than anyone else. Over the years, I have witnessed the stability and unity of Xinjiang, experienced its tremendous changes, and benefited from the state’s good policies. I have accessed to such policies as medical insurance, pension insurance, personal accident insurance, free health check-up, etc. In addition, I have acquired more religious knowledge and laws and regulations at Xinjiang Islamic Institute, which gives me a better and newer knowledge of Islamic religious doctrines and rules. In Xinjiang, the people of all ethnic groups have their freedom of religious belief fully protected. Citizens are entitled to choose to be religious believers or non-believers. All normal religious activities, including attending religious services, fasting, preaching, and celebrating religious festivals, that believers conduct in mosques for religious activities or in their own homes in accordance with customary religious practices, are exclusive affairs of the believers themselves. Especially with the strong support of the government, the conditions of the mosques have been greatly improved, creating a comfortable environment for religious believers, and greatly facilitating the worship of Muslims. And thus we religious personnel and believers are very happy.

Whether China’s religious policy is good, and whether Xinjiang’s religious situation is good, the religious personnel and the Muslims of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang are in the best position to judge. We all know that, the aim of Pompeo repeatedly slandering and smearing the situation of freedom of religious belief in Xinjiang is to mislead world opinion, to instigate ethnic relations, to destabilize Xinjiang, and to curb Xinjiang's development. We warn Pompeo that, stop desecrating the holy name of religion anymore. Your so-called “announcement” is nothing but a piece of wastepaper!