A Plea for Uyghurs
This October marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. This October also marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation (from self-rule) of Xinjiang, now an autonomous region of China, by People’s Liberation Army soldiers.
It’s no secret that China is on everybody’s minds—including fans of the NBA and South Park. As the world watches pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong or wonders about the next round of trade talks between Trump and Xi, it’s important to pay attention to Xinjiang—all the way on the other side of the Chinese mainland.
Xinjiang is not a Chinese province; it is an autonomous region like Tibet. Xinjiang is home to large populations of Uyghurs (or Uighurs), an ethnic minority. The majority of Uyghurs are Muslim, and they are closely related to Kazakhs, Uzbeks, and Tajiks.
Since 2015, Uyghurs—and Kazakhs—have been systematically arrested, detained, and placed in concentration camps by the Chinese government.
Since 2015, Uyghurs and Kazakhs have been systematically placed in concentration camps by the Chinese government. According to Human Rights Watch, people have been detained based on arbitrary “infractions”, including carrying a knife, traveling to a Muslim country in the past, having a beard, and refraining from drinking or smoking. Public intellectuals, government officials, and university professors that have worked to preserve Uyghur culture have been among the disappeared.
Why did this happen? China justifies the practices as an effort to stamp out “three evils:” terrorism, extremism, and separatism. Xinjiang has a history with terrorism. In the early 2000s, there were bloody riots in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital, leading to violence against Han Chinese residents. The government cracked down on Uyghurs, and as a result, Uyghur terrorists perpetrated a series of knife attacks and bombings in Xinjiang, Kunming (in Southeast China), and Beijing, the nation’s capital.
Extremism is a valid concern; after Beijing enthusiastically supported the United States’ War on Terror, the government began to fear that Uyghurs were traveling to the Middle East and bringing back more radical strands of Islam.
The Chinese state is systematically attempting to coerce, intimidate, imprison, and re-educate Uyghur culture out of existence.
Separatism remains a hot-button issue. Xinjiang is an autonomous region and was not under strict control by the Republic of China until its “liberation” in 1949. Uyghur separatists refer to the region as East Turkestan, and there has been a long-standing push for independence for the region.
Now we can see how the “three evils” all blend in Xinjiang. One group advocating for East Turkestan’s independence was the East Turkestan Liberation Organization. After 9/11, China labeled them a terrorist organization, condemned them as extremists, and began dismantling the organization in Xinjiang.
But here’s the kicker—Chinese oppression in Xinjiang isn’t about terrorism, extremism, or separatism. It’s about what Chinese officials privately call the fourth evil: Uyghur culture. The Chinese state is systematically attempting to coerce, intimidate, imprison, and re-educate Uyghur culture out of existence.
How is China doing this? The Chinese Communist Party has successfully built a technology-based surveillance state in Xinjiang with the help of American companies. Every day, Uyghurs’ information is collected without consent. AI-powered surveillance cameras conduct face scans on sidewalks; police at checkpoints perform DNA swabs at regular intervals throughout the city. Companies like Cisco and Intel have partnered with the Chinese companies providing the security and surveillance technology the Chinese government uses to oppress and imprison Uyghurs. After news coverage exposing these links, Intel and Cisco severed ties with their Chinese partners.
The rest of the world—including the United States—is at fault for refusing to address these human rights abuses as what they really are.
Last year, the United Nations estimated that 2 million Uyghurs have been placed in concentration camps. More recently, reports surfaced that camp officials are forcing detainees to work for little or no pay. The Financial Times reported earlier this year that Uyghur children, when their parents are detained or forced to leave the country, are placed in government-run orphanages. There, they speak only Mandarin Chinese, effectively erasing Uyghur identity from the next generation of Uyghurs in China.
And they’re doing it because the rest of the world has decided to turn away and allow it to happen. China is the world’s second-largest economy; they have the power to threaten countries economically if they do not stay silent about—or outright support—China’s concentration camps. Turkey—a majority-Muslim country that is also home to a large diasporic Uyghur population—condemned conditions in Xinjiang this February. However, the Turkish President rescinded those statements after a trip to Beijing in July. The Prime Minister of Pakistan—which is benefiting economically from Chinese-financed infrastructure projects—claims to not know much about the issue.
China’s practice of placing Uyghurs in concentration camps is undeniably wrong and must be condemned. But the rest of the world—including the United States—is at fault for refusing to address these human rights abuses as what they really are: an atrocious process of ethnic cleansing.
Author’s Note: To learn more or help Uyghurs, consider donating your time or resources to the Uyghur Human Rights Project or the Uyghur World Congress.
Photo provided by Sherpas 428 on Flickr, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License