恐怖主义、极端主义在新疆由来已久。20世纪初至40年代末，民族分裂势力、宗教极端势力借助“泛突厥主义”“泛伊斯兰主义”思潮，试图在新疆建立“政教合一”的“东突厥斯坦”国。形形色色的“东突”势力为了达到分裂中国的目的，鼓吹宗教极端主义，实施了一系列暴力恐怖活动。在此后相当长的一段时间里，宗教极端主义对新疆的渗透从未停止，暴力恐怖活动时有发生。

　　20世纪90年代以来，恐怖主义、极端主义在全球蔓延加剧，给人类社会造成重大灾难。美国、英国、法国、德国、西班牙、比利时、俄罗斯、土耳其、埃及、印度、印度尼西亚、新西兰、斯里兰卡等世界上许多国家和地区都发生了受极端主义影响的暴力恐怖袭击案（事）件，造成大量人员伤亡和重大财产损失，严重威胁世界和平，给人类社会发展投下阴影。

　Terrorism and extremism have a long history in Xinjiang. From the early 20th century to the late 1940s, separatist and religious extremist forces, spreading “Pan-Turkism” and “Pan-Islamism”, attempted to create a theocratic state they called “East Turkistan” in Xinjiang. In an attempt to split China, such forces advocated religious extremism and carried out a series of terrorist activities. For years religious extremism continued to make inroads into Xinjiang, resulting in incidents of terrorism.

　　Since the 1990s the global spread and aggravation of terrorism and extremism has wrought havoc. Influenced by extremism, terrorist attacks and related incidents have caused heavy casualties and property damage in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and other countries and regions. World peace is under serious threat, and the future of humanity is overshadowed.

　　据不完全统计，自1990年至2016年年底，民族分裂势力、宗教极端势力、暴力恐怖势力在中国新疆地区策划实施了数千起爆炸、暗杀、投毒、纵火、袭击、骚乱、暴乱等系列暴力恐怖案（事）件，造成大量无辜群众被害，数百名公安民警殉职，财产损失无法估算。

　　恐怖主义、极端主义的产生有着复杂的国际国内背景，受政治、经济、文化等各方面因素影响，与特定国家、特定地区、特定民族、特定宗教、特定社会制度无关。反恐、去极端化既是世界性课题，也是世界性难题。多年来，一些国家和地区为了有效反恐、去极端化，根据自身实际，积极探索打击和预防恐怖主义、极端主义的具体路径和办法，但由于各自的历史文化传统、经济社会发展水平、公民受教育程度及就业能力状况等存在差异，采取的办法和举措也不尽相同。

　　Between 1990 and the end of 2016 separatists, religious extremists and terrorists plotted and carried out several thousand acts of terrorism such as bombings, assassinations, poisoning, arson, assaults, and riots in Xinjiang. Many innocent people were killed and several hundred police officers died in the line of duty. The property losses incurred were enormous.

　　Terrorism and extremism germinate in a complex domestic and international environment. They are rooted in political, economic and cultural factors, and are not specific to particular countries, regions, ethnic groups, religions or social systems. The fight against terrorism and extremism is a global challenge. Over the years different countries and regions have adopted different measures of preventing and combating terrorism and extremism, based on their respective historical and cultural traditions, their level of social and economic development, and the level of education and employability of their citizens.

　　新疆特别是位于南疆的喀什地区、和田地区、克孜勒苏柯尔克孜自治州、阿克苏地区等四地州，由于宗教极端主义渗透时间长，影响范围广，毒害程度深，暴力恐怖案（事）件在一段时间多发频发，且涉案人员众多，影响群体庞大，导致反恐、去极端化形势严峻。

　　宗教极端势力利用信教群众朴素的宗教感情，借助当地信教人口众多、对外交流不畅、农牧业就业承载有限、信息闭塞、现代科学知识匮乏等客观因素，散布宗教极端主义。宗教极端势力肆意歪曲宗教教义教规，将极端主义与宗教捆绑在一起，与广大信教群众捆绑在一起，与社会生活捆绑在一起，鼓动推翻世俗政权，妄图建立教法统治的国家。宗教极端势力否定一切世俗观念和现代文明成果，鼓吹所谓“圣战殉教进天堂”，残害所谓“异教徒”“叛教者”，致使当地正常宗教活动遭到严重破坏，中道正信的宗教人士受到排斥、迫害，甚至被杀害。因宗教极端主义影响，大量信教群众被套上了沉重的精神枷锁，正常生产生活受到严重干扰，社会经济发展受到严重制约。

　　For some time Xinjiang, especially Kashgar Prefecture, Hotan Prefecture, Aksu Prefecture and Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture in the south, where religious extremism has had a long and widespread presence, suffered badly from frequent acts of terrorism. Large numbers of people were involved and even more were affected. The scale of the problem posed a serious challenge to China’s efforts in fighting terrorism and extremism.

　　Exploiting people’s religious beliefs, extremist forces spread religious extremism through Xinjiang’s large religious population, among people who have limited means of communication outside their own communities, limited employment opportunities in farming and animal husbandry, limited sources of information, and limited knowledge of modern science. Deliberately distorting religious doctrines and canons, religious extremists have bound extremism to religion, to religious believers, and to society as a whole, and incited people to overthrow secular governments and establish theocratic states. They deny the concepts and achievements of modern secular civilization, inciting followers to “engage in a holy war and die for their beliefs in order to enter heaven”, and injuring and killing those they describe as “pagans” and “renegades”. Normal religious activities in Xinjiang have been seriously disrupted, and upstanding religious individuals have been ostracized, persecuted, or killed. For many religious believers, the mental shackles imposed by religious extremism have become unbearable, disturbing their normal life and work. Social and economic development in the region has also suffered as a result.