WNAM REPORT: Secretary General of the Muhammadiyah Central Leadership Prof. Dr. Abdul Mu’ti, M.Ed. praised China’s efforts to preserve the diversity of society in Xinjiang, based on his experience when visiting the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in northwest China in June.
Abdul Mu’ti told Xinhua that based on his short visit to Xinjiang, he got three impressions. The first is the government’s attention to the ethnically diverse society and the people living side by side.
“The first is the government’s efforts to pay attention to the people in Xinjiang who consist of various ethnic groups and I also saw for myself how China respects the harmonious coexistence pattern between minority tribes in Xinjiang, including its attention to Muslims,” said Abdul Mu’ti.Second, the development of facilities and infrastructure in Xinjiang is quite advanced, especially those related to industry and tourism. Finally, there are efforts to preserve the culture of minority ethnic groups by the government, for example protection for places of worship.
During his visit, Abdul Mu’ti saw that people in Xinjiang have freedom, including freedom to worship and express culture, whether it is art, clothing or typical food from minority ethnic groups.
“Muslims are free to practice their religion, and this is in accordance with the laws in force in Xinjiang. Muslims in Xinjiang live peacefully with people of different beliefs. This is in line with the principles of Islam,” said Abdul Mu’ti. He gave an example when visiting Kashgar, he saw that there were ethnic minority villages that were open to tourists, while in Yining, there were performances that depicted the uniqueness of the local community.
“In my opinion, this proves that China has given freedom for diversity to develop and maintain it well, considering that China itself considers diversity as the wealth of society and the country as a whole,” said Abdul Mu’ti.
