Page 132 - Communist Chinas Policy of Oppression in East Turkestan

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the alms given for the maintenance and restoration of the mosques and
all the property belonging to religious leaders. Studying and teaching the
Qur'an were completely banned. Religious works were seized from peo-
ples' homes. Writings in Arabic were burned, including a large number
of historical handwritten texts. 15
Modern Chinese oppression of the Muslims in East Turkestan is
felt most heavily in the field of religion. As in all communist regimes,
hostility to religion is part of the official state policy of Red China. A
document called "The Basic Viewpoint and Policy on [the] Religious
Question During Our Country's Socialist Period," circulated inter-
nally through party channels throughout China in 1982 by the Central
Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, openly states that fact:
In human history, religion will ultimately disappear... All religious or-
ganizations in China will bow their heads to the leadership of the
party and the government … The true aim of religious schools is to
produce professional religious officials who support the party ad-
ministration and the socialist system … These religious officials
must remain loyal to the party's policy on religion … The funda-
mental purpose of religious bodies is to play an important role in
spreading the country's political influence. 16
A speech by Ali Jing Jiang, a member of the People's Republic of
China Islamic Community, at the 5th meeting of the Islamic Society of
North America in the USA on September 1, 1986, shows just how fully
the Red Chinese administration has put into effect the decisions set out
in that declaration. In his speech, Ali Jing Jiang stated that in China it is
legally forbidden to give any religious education, either at home or at
school, to minors under the age of 18. Although some religious schools
have been opened as the result of pressure from Islamic countries, there
are more Marxist, Leninist and Maoist ideas taught in them than Islam.
Jiang expressed that all the teachers in such schools are communists
and atheists and young people are being raised with no knowledge of
religion. In other schools, he said, religion is taught as if it were some-

Communist China’s Policy
of Oppression in East Turkestan