China – Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Regulation on De-Radicalization

Abstract

In March 2017, Xinjiang, a territory in northwest China, enacted the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Regulation on De-Radicalization (“2017 Regulation”), which designated fifteen types of statements and actions as “primary expressions of radicalization” and authorized punishment for nonconformity, including criminal penalties and forced participation in “individual and collective” education programs. Many of these designated statements and actions are not only common practices in Muslim communities but also mandated by traditional Islamic law. The 2017 Regulation, through restricting religious expression, has the effect of further stigmatizing the Islamic faith and dismantling the social infrastructure of Muslim communities in Xinjiang.