According to a white paper released by the State Council of China, religious extremism, terrorism and national separatism caused thousands of violent incidents in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region between 1990 and the end of 2016. However, there have been no terrorism-related events there since 2017, and the area has been enjoying social stability and development. What are the reasons behind this dramatic turnaround?

CGTN visited three cities in Xinjiang as part of a tour that also included foreign journalists to find out more.

Xinjiang is a key battlefield in the fight against terrorism and extremism in China. In recent years, officials have been not only cracking down on terrorism-related crimes, but also setting up vocational centers to educate people influenced by religious extremism.

Kaysar Muhtar was one of the victims of extremism before he came to a vocational center. He says he was influenced by online extremist ideology in 2017, during which he discriminated against and abused ethnic Han people. He cut ties with his Han friends, and forced his family to do the same. In 2018, he was advised to join a vocational center.

Kaysar is not alone. Many young people in the region were influenced by extremism. They were told that they shouldn't live in the buildings or walk on roads built by the government, they should not cry at funerals, and that killing heretics can help them go to heaven. Many were even coerced into criminal activities. At the vocational centers, the trainees learn Mandarin, law and religion, as well as vocational skills to increase their employment prospects.

Xinjiang vocational centers are basically free boarding schools. They're equipped with rooms for learning, reading, surfing the internet, doing sports, as well as other various entertainment activities. In addition, classes such as cooking, electrical maintenance, beauty and hair design, and garment and textile design are provided for trainees according to their interests, to make sure they can find a job after they leave. They stay at the centers for about 18 months.

Kaysar says he now realizes how horrible the ideas he adopted are, and feels more cheerful. Every time he goes back home on weekends or holidays, his relatives say he changed a lot. He just signed up for cooking classes and plans to open a small restaurant after graduation at the end of this year.

Li Wei, director of Counter-Terrorism Research Center at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, pointed out that religious extremism is the core and root cause of terrorism in Xinjiang. Religious extremism and religion are two completely different concepts, and religious extremism is anti-human, anti-social and anti-religious with its acts of terror. The spread of terrorism and extremism can be contained through education.

By learning the common language and laws of China and increasing people's skills, vocational schools can not only help trainees return to normal life, but also help believers understand religion without falling victim to extremism, Li added.

UN research on global counter-terrorism, such as the Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism singles out education and employment as the two key measures to prevent and eliminate terrorism.

Mambetalieva Aizhan, a reporter from Bishkek Evening News in Kyrgyzstan, who visited vocational centers in Aksu and Kashgar this month, told CGTN that terrorism and extremism are poisonous to people. By chatting with the trainees, she could tell they are really happy about the opportunity they're given there, and believes it's necessary and meaningful that they return to society with knowledge and vocational skills.

Dmitry Kosyrev, another visitor to the vocational centers and a political commentator for Russia Today International News Agency told CGTN that many countries and regions in the world are fighting against terrorism. This kind of vocational centers in China is a good exploration for the world, he said.

"It's a positive move for China to set up this kind of centers to eliminate extremism. I hope it can continue in the long term and China can make achievements in combating terrorism," Saeed Ahmad Al-Kuwari, a news editor for Qatar State News Agency told CGTN.

Human rights experts pointed out that the vocational centers have been creating a favorable environment for social stability, employment and economic development. Since 2017, Xinjiang has been free of any violent terrorist incidents and the number of tourists increased by 46 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2019.

Meanwhile, China has been protecting the development of Islam and the rights of believers. Currently, there are about 24,300 mosques for nearly 11.3 million Muslims in Xinjiang — the largest number per capita in the world.

Abdurekep Tumniyaz, the principal of the Xinjiang Islamic Institute said the construction of the institute was completed in 1987 with only 160 students at the time. In 2017, the institute set up 8 branches in Kashgar, Hetian, Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, Aksu, Turpan, Urumqi, Changji and Yili with a total of 3,000 students in both academic and non-academic classes, in order to improve the rights of Islamic believers.

Abdurekep added that for academic classes, every student gets 600 yuan a month to spend on food (accommodation is free), and 90% of the students can receive 4,000 yuan in scholarships or grants each academic year. A daily 40-yuan subsidy from the local government also helps students get by.

Measures to protect religious beliefs were applauded by foreign journalists. Mansoor Faizy, chief editor of Afghan Times, said that the local religious activities he saw in the mosques in Xinjiang are the same as those in his own country. He noted that the mosques in Xinjiang are better equipped with plenty of space for worshiping activities. Another difference he noticed is that the Quran is available not only in its original Arabic version but also in Uygur language, which he said is very conducive to religious activities.

H. M. Mostofa Kamal, executive chief editor of The Daily Kaler Kantho in Bangladesh, said his firsthand experience in Xinjiang was not similar to the one-sided reports he had read. He said religious people in the region are practicing their beliefs without limitations.

Chang Jian, director of Human Rights Research Center at Nankai University pointed out that the measures taken to eradicate extremism and protect religious beliefs have not only guaranteed the rights of people in Xinjiang, but also the legitimate rights of believers, who are no longer threatened by extremism.