A pedestrian passes in front of the closed mosque in Beauvais, northern France, on December 28, 2021. Photo: AFP

It is all about countering terrorism and extremism. But when it takes place in China's Xinjiang and in Western cities, the same tale is told differently by the West.

According to French media reports, France has ordered a six-month closure of a mosque in the north of the country because of "the radical nature of its imam's preaching." The sermons were said to incite hatred, violence and "defend jihad." In recent months, at least 99 mosques across France were investigated due to their suspected spread of separatist ideologies, and 21 of them were already closed.

Sounds familiar? This is also what China did to root out terrorism and extremism in its Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. What is different is that in French media reports, there was no single mention of an ethnic crackdown, government religious suppression and violations of human rights, all of which are the buzzwords in the Western media reports about Xinjiang. When China takes measures to eradicate terrorism and extremism, it is called a gross violation of human rights. But when France does that, it belongs to the rank of "necessary governance."

The West holds natural sympathy for extremists and terrorists - only when they come from China. From the West's perspective, extremists and terrorists in Xinjiang are ""brave challengers" to Chinese authorities and "fighters against abuses and injustice". Ursula Gauthier, who used to be a Beijing-based correspondent for French magazine L'OBS and was expelled for her malicious article about Xinjiang in 2015, once called a terror attack in Xinjiang just "mass murder." The reason she gave was "you cannot call that terrorist simply because many people died" and that the attack did not occur in a crowded place. 

The understanding of China's counterterrorism efforts from Gauthier and her like in the West is beyond human nature. They portray terrorists and extremists as the weak and vulnerable, and slander China's efforts with word games. The so-called values and political radicalism rip off the West's basic common sense, and the concept of "human rights" is in a complete mess. There is no such a thing in the world as "the spread of terrorism and extremism is evil in France, but acceptable in China."  

What French authorities did to the mosques is to cut off the infiltration of extremist forces into French society from the very beginning. This provides justification and feasibility of China's experiences in Xinjiang. Wang Yan, a doctor of law and an associate professor at Xinjiang Normal University, told the Global Times that while Western societies adopt China's experience on the one hand, but grossly accuse it on the other, reflects the West's double standards in fighting terrorism and extremism.

"This is the West's true mentality: As long as it can incite 'crisis politics' in China, anything can become its tool, including a global enemy such as terrorism. It highlights the hypocrisy of Westerners regarding so-called human rights and reveals the political manipulation of the West to contain China by exploiting Xinjiang-related affairs," said Wang.
From the deadly attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine in 2015 to the ruthless beheading of a teacher by an extremist in 2020 and to the recent emergence of radicalism in French society, France has become a victim of terror attacks closely associated with religious separatism. Had it realized at an early phase that China's measures to root out terrorism and extremism are of the same nature with their practices and got rid of its political prejudice toward China, it would not have suffered from the bite of terrorism it feeds.
 
China has put in enormous efforts to wipe out terrorism and extremism on its soil, which is also a great contribution to this global campaign. When the West becomes the de facto inciter of terrorism and extremism, China stands with justice and firm in its own path.