BEIJING: Muslim religious leaders in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are also victims of extremism and terrorism with several Uygur religious leaders being murdered or receiving threats, the regional Islamic association said, adding that religious extremists who choose to kill the innocent to achieve their goals are the greatest threat to Islam.
The spread of extremism and terrorism in Xinjiang once led to frequent terrorist attacks in the region. According to a report, published in China Economic Net, a large number of people, including Uygurs and several Islamic religious leaders, were killed in violent attacks, the Xinjiang Islamic Association said in a statement.
Juma Tayier, 74, an imam at Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar, was killed by three people after he performed a routine sunrise prayer at the mosque on July 30, 2014.
It was not the first time a religious leader from Id Kah, the largest mosque in China, was targeted by separatists or religious extremists.
Sometime back, three people ambushed imam Aronghan Haji, 76, and his son after they left their house for morning prayers at the mosque. Aronghan was stabbed 21 times in the head, back and legs. Aronghan and his son were severely injured in the attack.
Religious extremists have betrayed the Muslim pursuit of peace, and they are the greatest threat to Islam and are despised by Muslims, said the association, adding that the murderous act distorted and discredited the human rights of Xinjiang's Muslims.
Their goal is to seek independence of the region and establish a theocratic regime, said Shewket Imin, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang People's Congress, the regional legislature, in a signed article published in the official Xinjiang Daily on Thursday.