Emancipating minds and improving livelihoods

Editor's note: The following are excerpts from four articles by researchers on Xinjiang's human rights issue.

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has long been a land inhabited by multiple ethnic groups and cultures. However, during the Cold War, Xinjiang became plagued by resurgent extremism and related atrocious terrorist acts.

As a result efforts have been needed to help local people emancipate their minds and consciously resist religious extremism.

Extremist ideology has long harmed all ethnic groups in the region as it vigorously advocates heresies and is against people and societies that do not adhere to it. Worse, extremism deceives people into defying the law and normal governance.

Facing the rise of extremism, Xinjiang has been exploring a anti-extremism path with Chinese characteristics under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

To counter extremism, the region has vigorously popularized Chinese culture to guide the people of all ethnic groups to cultivate a correct outlook on the country, history, nation, culture and religion. While preserving local ethnic languages, Xinjiang has also strengthened Mandarin learning and training, and helped local residents learn scientific knowledge, integrating them into modern society.

With a rule-of-law approach, all people in Xinjiang, irrespective of ethnicity and religious beliefs, are required to strictly abide by the nation's Constitution, laws and regulations. At the same time, to overcome the difficulties some residents face in finding a job due to their lack of skills, special vocational skills training courses have been organized to help them secure a job and lift themselves out of poverty.

Extremism is a common enemy of human society. The effective measures introduced in Xinjiang to counter extremism have eradicated the soil in which terrorism and extremism flourish and protected local people's basic rights from being infringed on.

Xu Guixiang, a senior publicity official of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region