China on Thursday said it will not allow any foreign organisation or individual to interfere in its religious affairs as it defended the crackdown against Islamic militants in Xinjiang province, bordering countries like Pakistan, as a “just act” to safeguard its fundamental interests.
Religious extremists, in the name of religion, spread radical and extremist views and take extremist means to try to establish a theocracy, a Chinese Government white paper titled ‘Freedom of Religious Belief in Xinjiang’ released said.
Xinjiang enjoys unprecedented religious freedom, the paper said asserting that the freedom of religious belief in the province” cannot be matched by that in any other historical period.” Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, citizens’ freedom of religious belief fully respected and believers’ normal religious needs effectively met, it said.