| I'm of three minds about this. On the one hand, the Uighurs are certainly being influenced by the Islamist currents. They've been captured along with all the other flavors of turbans in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and a few other places. On the other hand, the Chinese are typically Commie in their handling of both religion and minorities. On the third hand, when the professional human rights wienies climb on board, I feel more sympathy for the Politburo. |
 China is directing a crushing campaign of religious repression against Muslim Uighurs in the name of anti-separatism and counter-terrorism, a report by two US-based human rights groups said yesterday. "At its most extreme, peaceful activists practicing their religion in ways that the party and government deem unacceptable are arrested, tortured, and at times executed," said the 114-page report by Human Rights Watch and Human Rights in China. "The harshest punishments are saved for those accused of involvement in so-called separatist activity, which officials increasingly term 'terrorism' for domestic and external consumption."
| The fact that they're heavy-handed and intolerant doesn't mean they've got no legitimate terrorist activity to contend with. |
The report, "Devastating Blows: Religious Repression of Uighurs in Xinjiang", is based on previously undisclosed Communist Party and government documents. It also draws on local regulations, official newspaper accounts, and interviews conducted in Xinjiang. "Uighurs are seen by Beijing as an ethno-nationalist threat to the Chinese state," said Sharon Hom, executive director of Human Rights in China. "As Islam is perceived as underpinning Uighur ethnic identity, China has taken draconian steps to smother Islam as a means of subordinating Uighur nationalist sentiment."
| Tagging the ethnic identity to Islam is kind of the giveaway here... |
The report claims to unveil for the first time "the complex architecture of law, regulation, and policy in Xinjiang that denies Uighurs religious freedom, and by extension freedom of association, assembly, and expression. Chinese policy and law enforcement stifle religious activity and thought even in school and at home." |