Islamic institute steps up training to fight extremism

Increasing knowledge of the Quran seen as essential in keeping followers on right track

Islamic leaders are finding it hard to cope with the increasing demands of followers in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region who can be susceptible to manipulation by extremists trying to achieve political goals, according to the head of the Xinjiang Islamic Institute.

Making religious leaders in Xinjiang learn more about Islam so they can convince followers of the validity of their Islamic teaching is the fundamental solution to curbing the spread of religious extremism, which is behind the growing number of terrorist attacks in China, said Adudulrekep Tumniaz, head of Xinjiang Islamic Institute and deputy director of Xinjiang Islamic Association.

"If the religious leaders compete with the extremists on Islamic knowledge, I cannot guarantee that they could win. That's what worries me," he said. "The extremists often start by teaching people about the parts of the Quran - Islam's holy book - that have never been mentioned by their Imams and then inject violent thoughts in people by misinterpreting the doctrines. They also use multimedia tools to attract young people who believe their local Imam's teachings are dull and lack new content."

Campus project

Xinjiang has the most mosques in China, more than 24,000. About 50 percent of the 28,000 religious leaders in the mosques have at most only a primary school education. What's more, 72 percent learned the Quran on their own, Adudulrekep said.

"We have a shortage of high-level, respected religious leaders, and we must do something about it. The region has a Muslim population of 12 million, about half of China's Muslim population," he said.

Since the Xinjiang Islamic Institute was founded 28 years ago in Urumqi, the regional capital, it has produced about 700 graduates, most of whom have religious roles in the region's mosques.

"The extremists won't come near the mosques where our students are because they know they their misinterpretation of the Quran would easily be rejected," he said.

To meet the demand for religious leaders knowledgeable of Islam, the institute invested 300 million yuan ($48 million) in 2014 to launch an expansion project. The new campus will be three times larger than the old one and be able to teach 1,000 students when it is completed in 2017. More than 200 students will graduate each year with a bachelor's degree. The institute will also provide two-and three-year training courses for religious leaders in Xinjiang.

"When herding their sheep, shepherds rely on the head sheep to lead the flock. They know where the grass and water are, and when they lead, other sheep follow. Our institute aims to prepare respectful, knowledgeable religious leaders who can lead the Muslims of Xinjiang in the right direction," Adudulrekep said.

"If we lack such religious leaders, extremists could distort the Quran and incite Muslims to be hateful and violent, which threatens social stability," he added. "In Xinjiang, improving people's livelihoods also means improving their religious life," he said.

Unfortunately, respected religious leaders have also become the targets of extremists in recent years. In July 2014, the well-known Imam of the Id Kah Mosque, Juma Tayir, was assassinated in front the mosque in Kashgar.

The incident shocked the region's religious leaders and many were concerned about their personal safety. Xinjiang authorities reacted by stepping up measures to protect religious leaders, such as having police officers accompany them from their home to their mosques.