before; moreover, it made clear the complex structure of the legislation, regime and policies that have taken religious freedom from the hands of Uyghur18

The Asia director of the organization, Brad Adams, commented on the report: “These documents are very sensitive. For these reason, they are only transmitted within the party and government, going from hand to hand, in secret. Such documents are directed towards arbitrarily forming a legal basis that will make the Uyghur people a target. What is intended here is to create a fear among the Uyghur people that will prevent them from gathering and expressing their complaints or from freely expressing their cultural identities.” Another point mentioned in the report is that the documents which have been obtained and the interviews that have been made in China by the organization demonstrate that there is a multi-directional system to suppress and control the religious activities of Uyghur people. The following words of the general secretary of the Xinjiang regional party, Wang Guan, were quoted in the report: “ ... the most important duty of the authorities in Xinjiang is to control and guide the religion. Thus, it will serve the central administration in preserving the economic structure, the homeland integrity and the national unity.” Let us now focus a little on the most important part of this report as mentioned in the published summary. The following issues are mentioned in detail in the report:

• Current regulations governing religious activities in Xinjiang,

• A booklet regarding the application of a policy that is related to religious issues for minorities, which was distributed within the party and government in 2000. Details about several suppressive applications, which later became law, are given in this booklet. In the report it is mentioned that in one of the booklets some “irregularities” are mentioned; according to these the authorities can ban religious freedoms for any reason whatsoever. Such irregularities are mentioned as “ ... the execution of further activities that will damage the stability of the population ... ” and “ ... those that give rise to separatist elements and major reactionary elements ... ” In other parts of the booklet it is stated: “It is essential that the Marxist theories be verified regarding religion in all kinds of material published related to research or evaluations of Islam (including news broadcasts and news papers) and that they be in parallel with the religious policies and practices of the government and party.” A paper signed by the vice director of the re-education department indicates the following:

• There are laws preventing children from participating in any kind of religious activity. An example of such a law can be found in an official document stated as follows: “Parents and legal guardians are forbidden from allowing their children to participate in religious activities.”19

• Documents show an increase in the numbers of Uyghur people who have been jailed or arrested on the basis of fabricated crimes of religious activity and crimes committed against national