China's The Hidden Persecution Of Uygur Muslims That Heartened A Jailbreak
22 November 2017EsinIslam And Agencies
Twenty ethnic Uygur Muslims from China broke out of a detention center near
the Thai-Malaysia border, Thai officials said yesterday, after digging holes
in the wall and using blankets as ladders.
The 20 were part of the last remaining group of over 200 Uighurs who were
detained in 2014.
Group members identified themselves as Turkish citizens and asked to be sent
to Turkey but more than 100 were forcibly returned to China in July 2015, a
move that sparked international condemnation, including from rights groups who
feared they could face torture in China.
Hundreds of people have died in recent years in China's troubled far western
region of Xinjiang due to violence between majority Han Chinese and Uygurs,
who speak a Turkic language.
Over the years, hundreds, possibly thousands, of Uygurs have escaped unrest in
Xinjiang by travelling clandestinely via Southeast Asia to Turkey.
Twenty-five Uygurs dug through their cell wall using broken tiles and then
used blankets to climb out of the cell to make their escape from the detention
center in Thailand's southern Songkhla province, immigration officials said.
China's Uyghur crisis: The hidden persecution of Muslims
China is widely considered to be one of the worst countries in the world for
religious freedom. But while the persecuted Church often dominates the
headlines in Western media, much less is known about the persecuted Muslim
community in China's far-western corner.
Xinjiang is an autonomous region right at the tip of north-western China,
bordering eight countries including Tibet, India, Russia, Afghanistan and
Pakistan. Traditionally, the majority of the population is Uyghur (or Uighur),
a Turkic-language speaking group most of whom are Muslim, and Islam plays a
significant role in the culture.
However, though historically the territory has been fought over for hundreds
of years, it came under the rule of the Qing dynasty in the 18th century and
later under Mao's Communist Party of China (CPC), which maintains strict
controls on religion.
Designated a country of particular concern by the US since 1999, the
Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) last month condemned
the government's "severe religious freedom violations", in particular the "at
times violent crackdown on Uighur Muslims" in Xinjiang.
"China's leadership has long justified its harsh policies... by asserting the
importance of confronting the so-called 'three evils' - separatism, terrorism,
and religious extremism," the USCIRF said. "In 2015, the Chinese Communist
Party tightened its internal ideology, elevating the crusade against the three
evils, particularly with respect to religious freedom."
In January last year, the government's 2014 'strike-hard' anti-terror campaign
was extended, and wide-scale restrictions were imposed against Uyghur Muslims
in Xinjiang. Thousands were detained in security sweeps, some with deadly
force, and jail sentences were given out for wearing religious attire. Even
men's beards or women's face veils were denounced as "extremist", and some
local authorities threatened action against Muslim business owners if they
chose not to sell alcohol and cigarettes due to their religious beliefs.
The previous year, in 2014, some Muslims were imprisoned for taking part in
religious gatherings or activities, and were forbidden from fasting during the
holy month of Ramadan.
Then in April this year, President Xi Jinping urged China to guard itself
against foreign infiltration through religion. At a top-level meeting he
warned against "ideological infringement by extremists", alluding to a growing
concern among officials about Islam in Xinjiang.
However, China pledged that there would this year be no interference with
Ramadan this year.
A white paper on religious freedom in Xinjiang released on June 1 confirmed:
"During the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, whether to close or open halal
restaurants is completely determined by the owners themselves without
interference.
"No citizen suffers discrimination or unfair treatment for believing in, or
not believing in, any religion," the document added, insisting that "religious
feelings and needs are fully respected".
In Xinjiang, "the positive role of religious circles in promoting economic
development and social stability is well displayed, the government's
capability of administrating religious affairs is constantly strengthened,
international exchanges in the religious field are being expanded, and the
proliferation and spread of religious extremism is being effectively
contained," it said.
However, reports surfaced at the end of May that legal and religious officials
in the city of Khorgos had already inspected more than 30 ethnic restaurants
and had them "guarantee normal business during Ramadan," according to Reuters.
Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for international organisation of exiled Ugyhur
groups, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), urged the US to raise the suppression
of Uyghurs during talks in Beijing due to start on Monday.
He told Reuters that China's "lies could not cover up the truth" about its
openly repressive religious policies.
Dolkun Isa, chairman of the executive committee of the WUC, said he agreed
that the white paper was not to be trusted.
"If China promises to [uphold freedom of religion] it is very welcome, but we
cannot trust it. The Chinese government does not respect its own constitution.
If it keeps its promise during Ramadan we will be very happy, but I don't
believe this statement is reliable," he said.
The issue isn't solely a religious one, however. The CPC's main concern is
widely considered to be with maintaining absolute power - and religion is just
one among many perceived threats. It's why China announced in 2014 plans to
nationalise Christian theology, and only allows state-recognised religious
institutions to operate. Even they are closely monitored, and state-approved
churches have begun to be targeted during crackdowns.
"It is erroneous to conclude that the Uighur crisis is solely religious,"
journalist Usaid Siddiqui wrote for al-Jazeera last July. "The Uighur
nationalists' desire for more autonomy has long been at odds with China's
centralization policy. If anything, Chinese authorities are using the 'war on
terrorism' as a cover to demolish the Uighur people's nationalist
aspirations."
Increased tensions and violence in Xinjiang has been attributed by the
government to Uyghur separatists, who want to be free from Beijing's control.
The separatist movement was forced underground in the 1990s, but there has
been an increase in violence stemming from followers in recent years. In 2009,
ethnic rioting resulted in more than 200 deaths and in 2014, 29 people were
killed in a mass stabbing attack at Kunming train station in Yunnan province;
an incident that was attributed to Muslim Uyghurs.
Though the WUC condemns all forms of violence, including that perpetuated by
Ugyhur groups, Isa said the CPC has actually had a role to play in the
formation of these extremist factions.
Open discrimination has led to widespread anger among Ugyhurs. They are not
allowed to travel between cities without police permission, and have to
register relatives when they come to visit. They must carry two ID cards at
all time - "daily life is threatened by the police," Isa said. "Ill feeling
has grown".
But Isa said that though the government is trying to combat extremism, there's
no doubt it is targeting moderate Muslims, too. "The government uses terrorism
as an excuse to attack Uyghurs," he said.
And the situation shows no sign of getting better. It's actually worsened
under President Xi, who Isa said has used the global fear of terrorism to his
own advantage. And Isa accused the international community of being too "soft"
on repressive Chinese policies.
"China is now an economic power, and every country wants Chinese money. So
China thinks 'I can do what I want, nobody can condemn me because all the
world needs my money'. That sends a very wrong message to the Chinese
government," he said.
Ahead of the talks on Monday, Isa echoed the call for the US to stand up to
China on the issue of religious freedom. "There is a lot of dialogue, but no
progress," he said. "Religious freedom is getting worse. Dialogue is very
important, but only if it's stronger."
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