BEIJING: Some foreign celebrities who attacked the Xinjiang in social media were blinded by fake news cooked up by a few foreign reporters who listened to illintentioned lies from people with political agendas and then published irresponsible reports, a spokeswoman for the regional government. “Qurans are burned, mosques were closed down, Islamic theological schools, madrassas, were banned, religious scholars were killed one by one. Despite all this, Muslims stay quiet,” MesutOzil, a soccer star of Arsenal, an English Premier League team, posted on Dec 13 on social media together with an image of the flag of so-called East Turkestan. According to China Economic Net, GulAbulim, a spokeswoman for the regional government, pointed out at a news conference in the regional capital of Urumqi that “Xinjiang has never been called East Turkestan, and never has there been any so-called East Turkestan.” “I don’t know if these celebrities have ever been to Xinjiang, but they seem to be blinded by fake news,” she said. Contrary to the accusation about demolishing mosques, local governments at all levels in Xinjiang have made continuous efforts to improve the quality of public services at mosques, she added. Mosques in Xinjiang now have access to sewage systems, electricity, paved roads, natural gas for heating, telecommunication, broadcasting and TV signals. These services are all welcomed by followers, Gul said. She said the regional government also noticed that some people recently launched a social media campaign tagged “China kills Muslims”.
