Olivia Gaines
Ms. Morris
AP Comparative World Governments
September 28, 2018
Factors Conducive to Terrorism in Xinjiang
In the last few months, China has been denying all accusations of their “reeducation camps” for Muslims in the Northwest region, Xinjiang, claiming that they are merely vocational schools for criminals. However, it is not criminals who are being held in these camps. The occupants are an estimated one million innocent Uyghur civilians who are being brainwashed into thinking that Islam is evil, tortured, and forced to do things against their religion (Samuel). The U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China has called it the “largest mass incarceration of a minority population in the world today” (Samuel).
Although China assures its citizens that the people in the camps are worthy of imprisonment, most are sent to the camps for things as simple as growing a beard or having a family member traveling internationally (Samuel). One young Uyghur man who is attending college in Kentucky heard that his father was taken to a reeducation camp because of him being in America. He now suffers from insomnia and has frequent panic attacks knowing of the harsh conditions that his father is facing, and knowing that if he ever goes back to Xinjiang, he will also be detained and imprisoned (Samuel).
Failing to recognize the distinction between radical Uyghurs and non-radical Uyghurs, the Chinese government advertises that “members of the public who have been chosen for reeducation have been inflicted by an ideological illness”, that illness being religious extremism and violent terrorist ideology (Samuel). The camps are portrayed as hospitals where those with “sick thinking” can go to receive free treatment.
Reeducation is China’s response to the growing threat of terrorism in Xinjiang. China has violated Uyghur human rights, used violence against them, and failed to listen to their legitimate concerns and grievances, resulting in acts of terrorism by some Uyghur organizations.
The Uyghurs are an ethnic group of Muslims who currently inhabit the Xinjiang region of China. They are indigenous to the Tarim Basin which makes up southern Xinjiang, and have faced discrimination and violence from the Chinese government for many years. Having achieved statehood twice (1931-1934 and 1944-1949), many Uyghurs want an independent state (to be called East Turkestan or Uyghurstan) once again, but some wish to have an autonomous relationship with China while achieving cultural independence (Van Wie Davis).
The East Turkestan Independence Movement (or ETIM) began in 1989 as a non-violent group of Uyghurs with a goal: independence. Early on, they were falsely labeled as terrorists by the Chinese government. Some members fled to Pakistan and Afghanistan to escape the religious suppression in Xinjiang, where they found themselves training with Al-Qaeda, knowing little about their ideology (Kennedy). Al-Qaeda promised to prepare them for a future war of independence, but the ETIM gradually became a pro-Jihadist faction (Kennedy). By knife attacks, suicide bombings, and bombings of buses, markets, and government institutions, the ETIM and subsequent splinter groups such as the Turkestan Islamic Party (or TIP) are responsible for at least 162 deaths, and have been blamed for over 200 attacks (Xu).
However, they weren’t labeled as a terrorist organization until after 9/11. Following the events, the U.S. bombed a Taliban village finding and capturing 22 Uyghur men who were amongst the Talibs. They were held at Guantanamo Bay for 12 years. The U.S. Treasury Department listed ETIM as a terrorist organization in 2002, with help of China’s argument that they were now a threat to the western world. However, the U.S. admitted to being wrong about the 22 Uyghur men. They had simply fled to the mountains, and the Taliban were the only people who would take them in.
One factor that contributed to Uyghur terrorism is the Chinese government violating their human rights. Terrorism is often bred in areas where there is no freedom of expression and dissent is not tolerated (Payne). The Chinese government has restricted religious attire, banned traditional Muslim names, banned the Uyghur language, and killed or incarcerated any Uyghur who is caught speaking up for their culture (Kennedy). In the 1990s, some Uyghur women were forced to have late-term abortions in order to comply with China’s one child policy — which Uyghurs were supposed to be exempt from (Kennedy). People whose culture is being torn away from them may resort to terrorism in an attempt to preserve their lifestyles.
Much of the terrorism has been in response to violence from the government. In 1997, Chinese police opened fire on a Uyghur riot, killing hundreds and arresting thousands (Kennedy). Similar occurrences happened in 2009, where police continued to kill and detain rioters (Xu). Uyghurs have seen their mosques and religious texts destroyed and locked up and their religious leaders persecuted (Van Wie Davis). When the government abuses its power like this, both sides begin to see violence as acceptable (Payne), resulting in more deaths.
Perhaps the biggest flaw of the Chinese government is not listening to Uyghur concerns. In 1999, China began to push Han citizens to migrate northwest to develop the Xinjiang region, while diluting the Uyghur population as well. Uyghurs were not able to get jobs anymore because Hans were the preferred employee (Tharoor). The migration to development of Xinjiang is still very active today. Despite riots and pleas, the government continues to encourage the migration. The population of Han and Uyghur have nearly leveled out in Xinjiang (Tharoor). The Han population now makes up 58% of Xinjiang; in 1949 it only made up 6% (Kennedy). In 2004, hundreds of Uyghurs protested the plan to build a reservoir that would move 18,000 farmers off of their land. The government promised to pay the victims the equivalent of $4,600, but they were only given $100 (Van Wie Davis). They are losing jobs, losing property, and losing money.
Another legitimate grievance is the seizing of Uyghur passports. They are routinely taken for “safekeeping”, which makes everyday events a hassle. Many train stations in Xinjiang have self-service ticketing, but only for Hans. Sometimes Uyghurs will wait in line all day for a ticket, only to find out that they cannot purchase a ticket without a passport as identification (Kennedy). When religious, social, economic, and ethnic problems are being ignored and dismissed by the government, individuals and groups are left to use violence to reach their goals (Payne).
The outbreak of terrorism in China was not unforeseen. The Uyghurs have put up with China’s violence, denial of human rights, and have not been listened to. Roberts claims that “Uyghur violence is a self-fulfilling prophecy” (Kennedy). Now, it is China’s turn to make a compromise, instead of imprisoning and brainwashing their innocent civilians.
Reflection
What struck me the most through my research was the impact of greed. When a country wants to hold on to what it has, it may take measures like creating brainwashing camps and torturing innocent people. It was interesting to see how little either side was willing to negotiate.
I found myself forgetting that the Uyghurs had terrorist organizations at times. I was feeling very sympathetic towards the Uyghurs and almost overlooked the main part of the assignment, the terrorism.
It was hard to find specifics of the ETIM-organized attacks; I kept reading that China keeps very tight control of that information and doesn’t let much get out. All I was able to find were some vague details about knife attacks and a few bombings.
When we first looked at the factors conducive to terrorism, I didn’t grasp the concept very well because I hadn’t ever researched much about terrorism. In my research for this project, everything all came together and clicked. It was very clear to see all of the factors that the Uyghurs were enduring and how easy it would be for violence or come out of that.
Works Cited
Kennedy, Lindsey. “China Created a New Terrorist Threat by Repressing This Ethnic
Minority.” Quartz, Quartz, 31 May 2017, qz.com/993601/china-uyghur-terrorism/.
Payne, Richard J. “Global Terrorism.” Global Issues: Politics, Economics, and
Culture. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 153-154. Pag. Print.
Samuel, Sigal. “China Is Treating Islam Like a Mental Illness.” The Atlantic, Atlantic
Media Company, 17 Sept. 2018, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/08/china-pathologizing-uighur-muslims-mental-illness/568525/.
Tharoor, Ishaan. “A Brief History of the Uighurs.” Time, Time Inc., 9 July 2009,
content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1909416,00.html.
Van Wie Davis, Elizabeth. “Uyghur Muslim Ethnic Separatism in Xinjiang, China.”
Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies Homepage, 1 Feb. 2011, apcss.org/college/publications/uyghur-muslim-ethnic-separatism-in-xinjiang-china/.
Xu, Beina. “The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).” Council on Foreign
Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 4 Sept. 2014, www.cfr.org/backgrounder/east-turkestan-islamic-movement-etim.