[CND, 01/05/02] Xinjiang's Muslim imams will receive standardized training at three institutes of Islamic classics, said Abdun Nyadun, an official with the Xinjiang Communist Party, AFP reported.
The classes will introduce students to religious topics as well as politics, law and technology, according to the China News Service.
We want the imams to become prestigious people in the Muslim
communities, based on their advanced political and cultural
understanding as well as their knowledge of religion,
said Nyadun.
According to official figures, there are 24,000 mosques and more than eight million Muslims in the region.
So far, 8,000 people have attended the standardized training. (Dong LIU)
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