World Uyghur Congress, 25 May 2018

Imams are the religious leaders in the Islamic faith, but they have come under heavy restrictions and pressure from the Chinese government in East Turkistan.

Through the state run Islamic Association of China, the Chinese government strictly regulates the appointment and training of imams. Only those who are deemed to be sufficiently loyal to the CCP and are willing to abide by the party’s message are permitted to be an imam in China. Prospective imams are forced to undergo training courses and mandatory classes focused on CCP thought and ideology, rather than Islamic teachings and theology. In this way, the Chinese government has tried to establish absolute control over the practice and teaching of Islam in East Turkistan.

Such heavy restrictions on the appointment of imams and on words and actions make it very difficult, if not impossible, for Uyghur muslims to peacefully practice their religion in a meaningful way. In the past few years, imams who do not strictly follow the Chinese government’s guidelines have faced severe punishment.

In May 2015, a 47 year old Uyghur imam, Eziz Emet, was arrested and received a nine-year prison sentence for teaching religion illegally in the Aksu prefecture. Eight Uyghur farmers also received seven-year sentences for praying together in places that authorities had not designated for Muslim worship. In June 2017, a Kazakh imam died in Chinese custody in mysterious circumstances, with the Chinese government claiming that it was a suicide. Earlier in 2017, a Kazakh imam named Okan was jailed for 10 years by a court in Habahe county, Altay (Aletai) Prefecture, for performing traditional funeral prayers in accordance with Islamic customsIn 2018, a Uyghur imam was sentenced to over 5 years in jail for taking his child to an unsanctioned religious school, as teaching children about Islam has been banned by the Chinese government.