http://www.bjreview.com AUGUST 29, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 29
Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar
Comments to [email protected]at the School of National Security and
Counter-Terrorism, People’s Public Security
University of China, told Beijing Review.
“There are some common efforts, such
as strengthening public awareness and
positively affecting radicalized individu-
als with education and helping them re-
integrate into society,” Han added.
Realization and return
Abdu Semet is undergoing training at a
vocational education and training center
in Yutian, a county in Xinjiang. He was
running a restaurant six years ago when
he became a target of so-called “religious
scholars” and became radicalized.
“I put a notice on the door of my
restaurant saying, ‘non-Muslims are not al-
lowed’,” the 29-year-old said. “I drove non-
Muslims away or beat them if they didn’t
see the notice and came in.”
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terrorism and extremism in China. To ad-
dress the root causes of radicalization and
implement preventative and integrational
measures, it has initiated vocational educa-
tion and training programs in accordance
with the law.
The vocational training centers run a
curriculum that includes the standard spo-
ken and written Chinese, basic knowledge
of the law and occupational skills, which
is designed to facilitate de-radicalization.
The vocational classes are tailored to lo-
cal needs. In Hotan Prefecture in south
Xinjiang, for example, trainees can choose
among garment making, food processing,
hairdressing and beauty services, or interior
design.
This has created better living conditions
and curbed frequent terrorist incidents.
“Vocational training is one of the
highlights of China’s early intervention so-
lution,” Han said. ”If people have the skills
to work and know what is against the law,
they will change and live a normal life.”
People referred to the training program
are assessed after the training and then
managed accordingly, in accordance with
the law.
Semet, who now regrets his past be-
havior, attributes his change to a better
understanding of its consequences. “If I
continued my disoriented way, my children
could be in jeopardy and my hometown
embroiled in turmoil,” he said.Different reactions
Recently, a group of journalists from 24
countries including the United States,
Russia, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey
and Iran, visited some vocational education
and training centers and inquired about the
people undergoing training in great detail.
“This is a school, not a ‘concentration
camp’,” said Paolo Salom, Deputy Director
of the International Department of the
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. “It’s
a place where people learn not only laws
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and cope in modern society. To overcome
extremism through education, no doubt, is
the right way.”
Abdulaziz Raddad A. Alrabie, Director of
the Mecca office of Okaz, a Saudi Arabian
newspaper, said the vocational education
and training center is in no way a “concen-
tration camp,” but a school where people
with extremist thoughts were transformed.
“I saw genuine smiles on the faces of
the trainees I interviewed, and I can tell
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the center,” Alrabie said.
But, there is a perception gap on thede-radicalization efforts in Xinjiang.
In a BBC interview, a Xinjiang official
said, “It’s better to stop terrorist activities in
advance and not wait for their crimes [but]
take action.” However, the remarks were
misinterpreted by the reporter as suggest-
ing that China believes it can determine
the guilt of people assessed as extremists
in advance.
However, in the UK, about 50 people
are reportedly referred to de-radicalization
programs every week, raising the question
of how their guilt is determined in advance.
“The counter-terrorism law is a preven-
tive law. It’s too late to take action after
terrorists have perpetrated a crime against
the public. It shows irresponsibility toward
public lives and property,” Li told Beijing
Review.
According to him, the different stands
on China’s way of intervention are due to
the different ideologies between the East
and West. “The current terrorism threat to
developing countries is more severe than
to developed ones in the West, which re-
sults in a perception gap when it comes to
addressing the issue,” Li said. QXINHUAA woman learns weaving at a vocational education and training center in Kashgar on October 12, 2018NATION