XINJIANG: NO EVIDENCE OBSERVED OF MEDIA-REPORTED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 001055

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2033
TAGS: PHUM PTER PREL PGOV KIRF CH
SUBJECT: XINJIANG: NO EVIDENCE OBSERVED OF MEDIA-REPORTED
CRACKDOWN ON ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES

REF: A. 08 BEIJING 2864

B. 08 BEIJING 3426

Classified By: Deputy Political Section Chief Ben Moeling. Reasons 1.4
(b/d).


1. (C) Summary: Despite rumors of arrests of underground or
terrorism-related religious practitioners, the overall
atmosphere in Xinjiang seemed more relaxed than on previous
PolOff trips in advance of and just following the 2008
Olympics (Refs A and B),with no checkpoints and fewer
propaganda posters visible. Reports that beards and head
coverings have been outlawed and that young men have been
banned from worshipping in mosques appeared to be untrue, as
PolOffs observed women wearing headscarves in public and
mosques full of worshippers, including bearded young men. A
local Imam stated that all Islamic extremism in Xinjiang is
"imported" and further suggested that Xinjiang's dire
employment situation may impact social stability and lead to
an increase in religious extremism. While local Muslims
denied any recent crackdown on religious activities, a local
Christian reported that "government management" sometimes
impedes Christian congregations' ability to worship. End
Summary.

Unofficial Visit
--------------


2. (C) PolOffs traveled to Hotan (Mandarin: Hetian),Xinjiang
April 8-11, partly to investigate the veracity of a series of
press reports and allegations by overseas Uighur groups of
wide-spread human rights abuses in southern Xinjiang. The
Provincial Foreign Affairs Office was not involved in the
trip, so no official meetings took place. PolOffs gathered
information through informal conversations with local
residents.

Atmosphere More Relaxed
--------------


3. (C) The atmosphere in southern Xinjiang was much more
relaxed than it was around the 2008 Olympics (Refs A and B).
In contrast with previous trips, there were no checkpoints on
roads in or outside of Hotan, and airline tickets and ID are
no longer required to enter airports in Xinjiang. PolOffs
observed that passengers are no longer required to disembark
before vehicles can refuel at service stations. While
PolOffs saw a few freshly-posted propaganda posters
condemning ethnic separatism and illegal religious
activities, they were outnumbered by posters about Hu
Jintao's scientific development concept.

No Restrictions on "Legitimate Religious Practices"
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Press reports indicating a widespread crackdown on
legitimate religious practices, including allegations of
restricting worship to the elderly and the prohibition of
beards for men and head coverings for women do not appear to
be true. PolOffs observed many bearded men and veiled women
in the city of Hotan, with head coverings ranging from
hair-covering scarves to full Saudi-style abbayas and
occasional burqas. PolOffs observed Friday prayers at four
separate mosques, both urban and rural, and noted large
numbers of young men worshiping at all of them. The police
station in Zawa village, outside of Hotan, told PolOff that
no restriction exists on beards or head coverings. Yang Yong
(protect),the Imam of the Hotan City Hui Mosque, stated that
while long-standing prohibitions on children under 18
entering the mosque still exist, there are no additional
age-based restrictions. He further stated that relatively
young Uighur men, between the ages of 20 and 30, form the
majority of his congregation.

Arrests of Home-Practitioners
--------------


5. (C) Several individuals stated that they had heard rumors
of arrests of house-based religious practitioners. One local
resident claimed that the arrests were based on the number of
people gathered rather than due to any religious offence. "A
few people" can gather together to worship without problems,
but when the number approaches 10 or more, the police are
likely to take note, he said. Another local resident alleged
that house arrests are occurring, but only when the
participants are involved with terrorism or other "illegal
religious activities." Yang Yong, the Hui Imam, claimed
arrests occurred not for religious activities but for
"underground training by extremist forces."

BEIJING 00001055 002 OF 003



Cross-County Worship
--------------


6. (C) Radio Free Asia in an April 7 article alleged that
"hundreds" of people were arrested at the "Qariqash County
shrine" outside of Hotan and detained at the Zawa Village
Police Station for worshipping at a shrine outside of their
home district, a practice RFA refers to as "cross-county
worship." PolOffs visited four shrines outside of Hotan,
where residents confirmed that "cross-county worship" is
legal. One devotee at the Mazar Imam Asim shrine had come
from as far as Urumqi to worship. At the Mazar Imam
Masukazim shrine, a local baker confirmed that during Friday
prayers, "many people" come to the shrine from Hotan and
surrounding areas. In the bazaar outside of the Mazar Imam
Aftab shrine, two students confirmed that they had heard of
arrests taking place at the shrine, but declined to comment
further. At the Zawa Village police station, the police
initially did not deny that arrests had occurred, but after
pressing PolOff on the source of the allegations, later
stated that they "hadn't heard of" any arrests.

Conversations with an Imam
--------------


7. (C) "No domestically produced (Islamic) extremism exists
in China" said Yang Yong, the Hui Imam, adding that all
extremism is "imported" from outside China. However, "a
large market" for extremist beliefs "such as Wahabbism"
exists in Xinjiang. Yang blamed the spread of extremism on
poor education, a failing economy and confusion about the
true meaning of the Koran. Yang argued that many in Xinjiang
were "susceptible to being misled" about Islam's teachings
because they were born into the faith and did not spend time
investigating the Koran for themselves. Yang said he is
working to "educate" his congregation about what he sees as
the true and nonviolent meaning of the Koran and believes
extremism in Xinjiang is "a temporary problem." The
government is also working to stop the influx of extremism by
taking down extremist websites, vetting all foreign donations
to mosques through "the MFA, the State Council and others,"
according to Yang, and increasing education. Yang also noted
that minors under the age of 18 are not allowed to worship
because "they are not mature enough to decide for
themselves." Yang, who is fluent in both Uighur and Chinese,
said that his congregation is at least 90 percent Uighur,
which is consistent with what PolOff observed during Friday
prayers.

Christians: Also Feeling Pressure?
--------------


8. (C) Though the Christian population of Hotan is small, one
local Christian with whom PolOff spoke said that attending
church services has been more difficult recently because of
"more intensive government management." Ba Qian'an
(protect),a Han native of Hubei Province and practicing
Christian told PolOff that "government management" of Hotan
Christians is "cyclical" with authorities sometimes allowing
prayer gatherings and sometimes cracking down. Ba usually
gathers with 20 other local Christians to worship a number of
times every week but had not been able to do so for more than
a week. Ba refused to speculate on the reasons for recent
limitations. Ba said that it is "far more difficult" to be a
Christian in Xinjiang than in his native Hubei even in the
best of times. The "Hubei Communist Party" supports
Christians by building churches, and giving gifts on
Christmas, but the Xinjiang government provides no such
support, said Ba.

A More Pressing Issue: Employment
--------------


9. (C) A number of locals noted the increasingly difficult
employment situation. Mehmeti Jan (protect),an ethnically
Uighur manager at the government-run Hotan City Human
Resources Bureau, said that jobs were available if those
looking were "willing to lower their standards." He conceded
that ethnically Han people in Hotan generally have an easier
time finding work than ethnic Uighurs, primarily due to
linguistic factors. A cab driver agreed that jobs are easier
to find for Han job seekers saying "Uighurs look for work for
weeks, but Han people can find a job the day after they
arrive." Hui Imam Yang Yong commented that employment will
continue to be a major problem in Xinjiang and one that may
ultimately impact social stability, particularly as the
financial crisis has "arrived in Xinjiang" and "will probably
make the market for extremism much larger."

BEIJING 00001055 003 OF 003


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