Religion in Xinjiang: history and present

Abstract

The article is devoted to the religious situation in Xinjiang. The article includes a history of the formation of religious communities on the territory of the autonomous region. Specifics of the region are noted, and that
XUAR is the Muslim center of China; analyzes the legislative system in the field of religious affairs management; Paid
attention to the development of Islamic infrastructure in the 1980s and the current state of religious activity. The main
directions of the state policy in the religious sphere are researched. The problem consists in need of the analysis of a
situation for the religious sphere in Xinjiang. The religious sphere is sensitive in the social plan, also in the religious
sphere the conflictogenic potential is extremely high. In this regard to area of the religious relations the attention, as
is high from the state, and expert community. Within this research it is supposed to show how the central power of
the People’s Republic of China changes the attitude towards religiousness of citizens on the outskirts of China. This
process in respect of evolution of the attitude towards Muslims whom in SUAR there is a lot of is especially relevant.
Politicization of Islam conducts to the fact that the social and political role of the Chinese Muslims changes. Fear of
radicalization and work about prevention of extremism is one of the key directions in state policy of Beijing now.
The purpose of the present article consists in carrying out the situational analysis of a religious situation in Xinjiang.