As anti-government riots increase within the Tibetan borders, the Chinese government is simultaneously increasing harsh measures to ensure that the unrest does not spread to the borders of East Turkestan (Xinjiang). Rebiya Kadeer, president of the German-based World Uyghur Congress, mentioned some of these measures in the Toronto Star. "In the streets, whenever three or four Uyghur’s [who are Muslim] come together, a van appears and plainclothes police arrive and either disperse them or take them away. I have also learned that the Chinese authorities have sent plainclothes Chinese police into Uyghur schools … to make sure nothing is going on there." [1]
Sympathy has been expressed at the struggle of the Tibetan people all over the world but little attention is given to the Muslims of East Turkestan. James Millward, a professor of history and expert on East Turkestan at Georgetown University explains this disparity through a Chinese maxim. “’Tibetans are like pandas,’ he says. ‘Uyghur’s are like camels. The pandas are cuddly – there is great sympathy for Tibetan Buddhism and no fear of it. Camels are prickly beasts, not something you necessarily want to cozy up to. Yet pandas and wild camels, both, are endangered species.’” [1]
East Turkestan: Geography & Demographics
Today, the parts of Greater Turkestan which include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are known as West Turkestan, and the area that has been under Chinese occupation for the last two centuries is known as East Turkestan –which is one-sixth of China's land area. In the 19th century when it was incorporated into the Chinese Empire, it was given the Chinese name –Xinjiang– which means “New frontier” or “New dominion”.
The indigenous people of East Turkestan are Turkic people who are predominantly Muslim. According to a report by Amnesty International, (China: Gross violations of human rights in Xinjiang) [2] there has been a massive influx of ethnic Chinese (Han) since 1949 leading to a relative decrease in the presence of its indigenous people. According to a report on Al-Jazeera [3] , the number of ethnic Han settlers in East Turkestan has risen from well under half a million in 1953 to 7.5 million in 2000 and continues to rise. Based on the latest available figures, Han settlers make up around 42% of East Turkestan’s total population of 18 million.
As with many Muslim lands, Allah (swt) has blessed East Turkestan with a vast amount of natural resources. According to www.china.org.cn [4], in 2004, 41.2% of East Turkestan’s total area was considered suitable for the development of agricultural, forestry and livestock farming. Among the 122 minerals that have been discovered in East Turkestan, several of them make up the largest reserves in all of China including iron ore and salt. Estimates put East Turkestan's coal reserves at about 38% of the national total. Petroleum and natural gas reserves estimated at 30 billion tons, account for more than 25% of the national total. People’s Daily reported in February 2008, “The production of both crude oil and natural gas in Tahe Oil has increased significantly. The increase in crude oil accounted for 40% of Xinjiang's total increase. In 2007, Tahe Oil Field was expected to produce between 300 million to 500 million tons of oil. By the end of last year, there were 2.47 billion tons of confirmed oil and gas reserves.” [5]
Chinese Atrocities in East Turkestan
Forced abortions and castrations [6]
Young Uyghur women forced to work in factories in China [7]
Surveillance and closure of Mosques [8]
Restrictions on performing Hajj [9]
From Islamic Rule to Chinese Occupation [10]
Islam came to the region in 934 AD, and soon thereafter, the city of Kashgar became one of the major Islamic centers. As the centuries passed, East Turkestan fell to the control of the Manchu emperors of China. During the 1860s, Muslim uprisings erupted across western China. In 1865, East Turkestan broke away from Chinese hands and became an independent country. In 1884, China returned and East Turkestan was absorbed and renamed “Xinjiang”.
The Uyghurs staged numerous uprisings against the Chinese government and twice, in 1933 and 1944, they succeeded in setting up an independent republic. The Chinese convinced the Muslims to abandon their republic in exchange for real autonomy. A Muslim league opposed to Chinese rule was formed. In August 1949, a number of their leaders died in a mysterious plane crash while en route to Beijing to meet with Chairman Mao. Muslim opposition to Chinese rule persisted on an intermittent basis until early 1951 when the leader of the Muslim independence movement was captured and executed.
Until now, China has refused to relinquish control over this coveted region and has resorted to brutal methods to maintain its iron grip.
Ethnic Cleansing
After 9/11, China like other countries around the world used the war on terror as a pretext for gaining international support for its brutal tactics against their Muslim population. Although these atrocities were occurring prior to 9/11, the brutality was later intensified and justified all in the name of fighting “global terrorism”.
East Turkestan has seen a rapid influx of Han settlers who now dominate the region in the area of business, education and access to jobs. Although the territory is booming economically, especially in oil production, it is mostly the Han who benefit from this economic development. This has resulted in heightened competition between the Han and the local ethnic minorities (Muslims) for water and land resources in rural areas as well as for jobs in urban centers.
According to a report by Human Rights Watch there is a, “thinly veiled institutionalized discrimination against Uyghur’s and other Muslim groups…Ethnic minority children can attend their own schools and colleges but the language of instruction is in Chinese [even though the Muslims are Turkic speaking.]…‘Distinctive’ religious, dietary and linguistic characteristics of Muslims are used as a pretext to deny them access to positions of responsibility on the grounds that the employing unit is ‘inadequately equipped’ to meet their special needs.” [11] Based on a report by Amnesty International, in the rural sector, Uyghur farmers have become impoverished due to government policies, increases in taxes, and discriminatory or corrupt practices. In some areas, Uyghur farmers have to sell their crops to state agencies at lower prices as opposed to the free market where the Han are allowed to trade without government interference. [12]
This has resulted in resentment amongst the local population, an exodus of individuals unable to provide for themselves and their families, and a push for the Muslim’s to abandon their Islamic identity in order to ensure their economic survival.
There are policies in place to ensure that if Muslims do not voluntarily abandon their faith, the Chinese Government will ensure that it happens. According to a report by Human Rights Watch, “The authorities have also put a ban on personal religious practices in all state-controlled structures: students at state schools and universities are formally forbidden to pray, keep the fast during Ramadan, or show any pious behavior and the possession of a Quran alone can lead to sanctions. In rural areas, security forces conduct periodic searches to ensure that no ‘illegal publications’ or ‘illegal religious’ materials are held. Mosque attendance is scrutinized and many young Uyghurs say they are fearful of attending prayers…night patrols are carried out in student dormitories to check that no prayers or other manifestation of religious worship are going on.” [13] Children under the age of 18 are prohibited from learning and practicing Islam. In August 2006, police broke into the home of Aminan Momixi while she was teaching Quran to 37 students -arresting her and her students which included some as young as 7 years of age. Some children were not released until their parents paid fines ranging between 7,000 to 10,000 Yuan [14] – the average yearly salary for a Uyghur is 2,400 Yuan. [15]
These are a few of the exhaustive measures imposed by the Chinese government towards our Muslim brothers and sisters in East Turkestan; however, it does not end here. For the fear of losing East Turkestan has resulted in detention and horrific torture aimed towards anyone China deems a threat.
In late 2005, Manfred Nowak, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, confirmed that “torture was widespread” in China, especially in East Turkestan and Tibet. Forms of torture he documented included the “use of electric shock batons, cigarette burns, guard-instructed beatings by fellow prisoners, submersion in pits of water or sewage, exposure to extreme heat or cold, being forced to maintain uncomfortable positions, deprivation of sleep, food or water, (and) suspension from overhead fixtures by handcuffs. [16]
Torture, arbitrary arrest, summary trials and executions are common place in this forgotten province. It is the only place in China where political prisoners are still executed. [17] Amnesty International has documented that, since 2001, “tens of thousands of people are reported to have been detained for investigation in the region, and hundreds, possibly thousands, have been charged or sentenced under the Criminal Law; many Uyghurs are believed to have been sentenced to death and executed for alleged ‘separatist’ or ‘terrorist’ offences.” [18] The state-run Xinjiang Daily reported that, in 2005 alone, 18,227 individuals were arrested in East Turkestan for “endangering state security”, a jump of 25% from the previous year. [16]
A Cautionary Note
Currently, we see various media outlets discussing the abuses of Chinese authorities against the Tibetans and (to a much lesser extent) the Muslims in East Turkestan. As mentioned in our last newsletter, we must always be aware of media bias and the slant that they present towards current events. So for example, while the American and European news outlets are criticizing and condemning China, they themselves are responsible for numerous atrocities including the illegal occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, the support of malicious dictators such as Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan and the operation and support of torture dungeons throughout the world. Although we see countries today argue and bicker with one another, they will stand foot-to-foot and shoulder-to-shoulder when it comes to confronting Islam.
Furthermore, it is ineffective to seek assistance and support from the Western governments as Allah (swt) revealed:
“Let not the believers take the disbelievers as Auliyah (supporters, helpers) instead of the believers, and whoever does that, will never be helped by Allah in any way…” [TMQ 3:28]
It is only through the re-establishment of the Khilafah that we can have our authority and honour restored. We invite you to work to resume the Islamic way of life on the method of the Prophet (saw).
“When there comes the help of Allah and the victory, And you see men entering the religion of Allah in companies, then celebrate the praise of your Lord, and ask His forgiveness; surely He is oft-returning (to mercy).” [TMQ 110:1-3]
1. Toronto Star- The other thorn in China’s side
2. Amnesty International – China: Gross Violations in Xinjiang, 1999
3. Al-Jazeera – Xinjiang: China's 'other Tibet'
4. Xinjiang –Introduction to China’s Provinces, Municipalities and Autonomous Regions
5. People’s Daily – Another 90 million-ton reserve found in Tahe Oil Field
6. Amnesty International – China: Gross Violations in Xinjiang, 1999
7. East Turkestan: Transferred Women Feed Growth
8. HRW: Devastating Blows: Religious Repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang
10. Historic Overview – The Forgotten Muslims of Xinjiang
11. HRW: China: Human Rights Concerns in Xinjiang, 2001
12. Amnesty International – China: Gross Violations in Xinjiang, 1999
13. HRW: China: Human Rights Concerns in Xinjiang, 2001
15. Average Uyghur Salary- Coercive Chinese Birth Control Policy on Uyghur’s in Eastern Turkistan
16. Manfred Nowak: East Turkestan: Continued Suppression of Uyghur’s
17. AI- Political Prisoners Executed: Fear of Torture and Execution/Forcible return, 2000