'Sinicise' religion to combat 'hostile forces': Chinese official

Xinjiang's top Communist Party official Zhang Chunxian told religious leaders that "hostile forces" were stepping up their infiltration in the restive region and that their teaching must be "sinicised" to ensure social stability, state media reported yesterday.

In a meeting attended by some 700 Muslim, Buddhist and Christian representatives on Sunday, Zhang said "hostile forces" inside and outside China were using religion to engage in "destructive activities" in Xinjiang, reported Xinjiang Daily - the party's mouthpiece in the region.

He said religions must be "sinicised" and leaders must steer religions forward with Chinese socialism. He said religions must work under socialism to serve economic development, social harmony, ethnic unity and the unification of the country.

"Immerse religions in the Chinese culture... in order that religions can develop in a normal and healthy way," he said.

He said religious leaders must support the party's leadership and safeguard the motherland's unity and social stability, and "staunchly resist separatism, religious extremism and illegal religious activities".

He also said religious leaders should work hard at rooting out the harmful influence of religious extremism and must voice their strong condemnation of "acts of violence in the name of Islam" and expose the work of violent terrorists and extremists.