Dogged past times protests in addition to revolts from a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority called the Uighurs inward the vast in addition to autonomous Central Asian edge share of Xinjiang — or East Turkestan, every bit it is historically referred to past times the Uighurs — the Chinese spotted an opportunity. In the weeks in addition to months afterward 9/11, Beijing began submitting documents to the UN alleging that the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, or ETIM — a grouping that few people had e'er heard of, or could fifty-fifty confirm the existence of — was a “major factor of the terrorist network headed past times Osama bin Laden” in addition to “an of import purpose of his terrorist forces.” By September 2002, both the U.N. in addition to the United States had listed ETIM every bit a “terrorist organization” — throwing the Uighurs nether the geopolitical bus. One. Million. People. There are around eleven 1 1000 m Uighurs living inward Xinjiang, which way that almost 1 inward 10 of them has been detained.
Fast forwards 17 years: On Friday, a panel of U.N. human rights experts said Uighurs inward Xinjiang were beingness treated every bit “enemies of the state” in addition to announced that it had received credible reports nigh the “arbitrary in addition to bulk detention of almost 1 1 1000 m Uighurs” inward “counter-extremism centers.”
One. Million. People. It’s an astonishingly high number. In the context of the Uighur population every bit a whole, it’s fifty-fifty to a greater extent than shocking: There are around 11 1 1000 m Uighursliving inward Xinjiang, which way that almost 1 inward 10 of them has been detained, according to the U.N. How is this non anything other than 1 of the biggest, in addition to most underreported, human rights crises inward the the world today?
A Chinese flag flies over a local mosque that had been unopen past times authorities every bit an ethnically Uighur adult woman sells breadstuff at her bakery on June 28, 2017, inward the old town of Kashgar, inward the far western Xinjiang province, China.
Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
To locomote clear, the Chinese bring launched vicious crackdowns against the Uighurs on several occasions since 9/11 — most notably, the “strike difficult in addition to punish” stimulate of 2009. In fact, e'er since Chinese communist forces conquered in addition to occupied the short-lived East Turkestan Republic inward 1949 in addition to turned it into the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, whatever attempts past times Uighurs to need greater liberty or autonomy from Beijing bring been brutally stamped out. This, it seems, is how the Chinese produce “assimilation.”
Yet, every bit Amnesty International’s Nicholas Bequelin told me, the sheer scale of this latest crackdown should locomote seen every bit a “turning point.” The Chinese authorities is currently “engaged inward a bulk brainwashing functioning that requires the detention of hundreds of thousands of people, arbitrarily, exterior of whatever legal framework, inward lodge to champaign of study them to intense political indoctrination, inward the promise that this volition brand them into a to a greater extent than compliant in addition to loyal political entity,” Bequelin said.
It won’t work, of course. As Bequelin pointed out, “There is no way that PRC tin ensure it has sufficient loyalty from the Uighur people.” The Chinese, he said, volition instead “create a generation amongst really deep grievances because they are detained exterior of whatever sort of legal framework in addition to they are treated every bit colonial subjects.” Every colonial project, he added, “generates its ain anti-colonial project.”
A Uighur adult woman sweeps exterior her theatre on July 1, 2017, inward the old town of Kashgar, inward the far western Xinjiang province, China.
AS WITH THE U.S. presence inward Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan in addition to Iraq, in addition to Israel’s business of the West Bank in addition to Gaza, China’s state of war on terror inward Xinjiang risks becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. But the Chinese — similar the Americans in addition to the Israelis — don’t actually give a damn nigh alleged terrorist threats. This has much less to produce amongst safety in addition to much to a greater extent than to amongst politics. Beijing is asserting command over a restless province that borders viii countries — including Islamic Republic of Pakistan in addition to Afghanistan. Other economical factors come upwards into play, too: Xinjiang is habitation to the country’s largest reserves of coal in addition to natural gas.
Fighting terrorism, though, has locomote a useful covert for authoritarian governments around the world. Bequelin, who is the Eastern Asia managing director at Amnesty International in addition to a erstwhile visiting scholar at Yale Law School’s PRC Center, draws a “direct line” from the Bush annunciation of a state of war on terror inward 2001 to the repression of the Uighurs inward 2018. “The state of war on terror rhetoric immensely benefitted the Chinese,” said Bequelin. “It was a 180-degree plough for the discourse of the Chinese province amongst observe to its powerfulness inward Xinjiang: from minimizing in addition to trying to enshroud it to casting its efforts in addition to suppression of whatever course of study of dissent every bit ‘counterterrorism.’ So at that topographic point is a straight line here.”
“The state of war on terror rhetoric immensely benefitted the Chinese.”
That isn’t to say that Uighur militant groups are a myth, but the few that produce be are small, weak, in addition to pose really picayune threat to the Chinese state. Most are inspired past times local factors rather than international alliances. To quote Michael Clarke, an Australian academic who has studied Xinjiang, “It’s non that PRC shouldn’t locomote concerned nigh [global terrorist ties], but the meat effect is that the linkages bring been exaggerated past times the Chinese government.”
It isn’t encouragement from the Islamic State or Al Qaeda, Bequelin noted, but the ongoing persecution inward Xinjiang that “will drive certainly people to encompass radical forms of anti-state protests, including violence” — perhaps fifty-fifty “using the jihadi grammer to oppose the state.” Think nigh it: Since 9/11, jihadist groups bring succeeded inward recruiting immature in addition to angry Muslim men from across the globe past times claiming their enemies are fighting a “war against Islam.” But why should the Uighurs bring to sentry propaganda videos online when they tin run across what is happening inward forepart of their eyes?
The Chinese authorities seems bent on humiliating in addition to abusing the Muslims of Xinjiang. In recent years, Beijing has banned Uighur parents from naming their sons “Muhammad”; children from entering mosques; in addition to authorities employees from fasting during Ramadan. Muslim men are prohibited from growing “abnormally” long beards, spell Muslim women cannot wear the confront veil inward public.
Then at that topographic point are the “political camps for indoctrination,” cited past times the U.N. panel concluding week, inward which hundreds of thousands of detainees are forced to shout Communist Party slogans; declare their loyalty alone to the Chinese dictator, President Xi Jinping; in addition to are “lectured nigh the dangers of Islam.”
The give-and-take “Orwellian,” therefore, does non produce jurist to the harrowing accounts of abuses coming out of Xinjiang, rightly dubbed a “police state” in addition to “apartheid amongst Chinese characteristics” past times The Economist. The U.N. panel said it was a “massive internment camp” — “a class of ‘no-rights zone.’”
Demonstrators attend a protestation inward forepart of the Chinese consulate inward Istanbul, on July 5, 2018, to denounce China’s handling of ethnically Uighur Muslims during a deadly riot inward July 2009.
Photo: Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images
SO WHERE IS the global outcry? Where are the protests from Western governments, which in addition to so ofttimes claim to value human rights inward a higher house all else? President Donald Trump says he has “a lot of observe for China” in addition to likes to brag that Xi Jinping is “a friend of mine.” On a see to PRC before this year, British Prime Minister Theresa May won plaudits from Chinese state-run media for beingness “pragmatic” in addition to ignoring Western journalists in addition to activists who “keep pestering [her] to criticize Beijing” over human rights abuses. Her boyfriend European leader, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, has visited PRC 11 times inward 12 years — but has never publicly raised the effect of the Uighurs on whatever of those trips.
Where is the outrage from the governments of majority-Muslim countries, which in addition to so ofttimes claim to beak on behalf of their oppressed Muslim brothers in addition to sisters across the globe?
Where is the outrage from the governments of majority-Muslim countries, which in addition to so ofttimes claim to beak on behalf of their oppressed Muslim brothers in addition to sisters across the globe? They are loud inward their condemnation of Israel’s subjugation of the Palestinians in addition to Myanmar’s ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya. But a 1 1000 m Muslims behind bars? Beards in addition to veils banned? Imams humiliated? The intelligence out of Xinjiang has been met alone amongst radio silence from the 57 fellow member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Take the Turkish government, which inward the past times has spoken out inward defence of the Turkic-speaking Uighurs, but these days is keen on cozying upwards to Beijing. Or consider the Iranian government, which non long agone announced a “new chapter” inward Tehran-Beijing relations, praising PRC for having stood “by the side of the Iranian state during difficult days.”
“We are an occupied territory,” said Uighur diaspora leader Anwar Yusuf Turani, inward 2015. “We know the plights of our Muslim brothers in addition to sisters inward Palestine, Kashmir, but why doesn’t the Muslim the world know nigh our struggle?”
It’s a goodness question. Some mightiness say it is unrealistic to facial expression Western or Middle Eastern countries to stand upwards up to China, which has such massive political in addition to economical leverage over them. According to Amnesty’s Bequelin, though, leverage plant both ways. He points to the fact that the European Union is China’s biggest merchandise partner, in addition to so of course of study “the European Union tin produce a lot more.”
“It’s an tardily justification to say countries can’t say anything because PRC is also of import to them every bit an investor or merchandise partner,” he said. Yet, “if Egypt, or Turkey, or the OIC, or a wide alliance at the United Nations, were to start call for questions that are raising legitimate concerns in addition to did non audio hostile … it could set PRC on the dorsum pes in addition to mightiness ultimately Pb the leadership [in Beijing] to alter their calculations nigh what they’re doing inward Xinjiang.”
So far, however, both liberals inward the West in addition to Muslims inward the East bring utterly failed the Uighurs of Xinjiang. The Uighurs are beingness subjected to a savage in addition to vile stimulate of cultural cleansing, of bulk detention, torture, in addition to brainwashing at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party inward Beijing, spell the residual of us stand upwards past times in addition to watch. How is this happening inward 2018? We should all hang our heads inward shame.
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