Uighurs / Uyghurs struggle to retain cultural identity under Chinese occupaton of their homeland

The Chinese government has accused Uighur exiles of inciting violent protests in Urumqi in the western province of Xinjiang (or East Turkestan).

But many ethnic Uighurs blame Beijing for systematically destroying their culture and identity.

Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri explores the tense relationship between Uighurs and China's leaders.
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China: Uighur ethnic identity under threat in China

Posted: 06 July 2009

The ethnic identity of Uighurs in western China is being systematically eroded. Government policies, including those that limit use of the Uighur language, severe restrictions on freedom of religion, and a sustained influx of Han Chinese migrants into the region, are destroying customs and, together with employment discrimination, fuelling discontent and ethnic tensions. The government has mounted an aggressive campaign that has led to the arrest and arbitrary detention of thousands of Uighurs on charges of 'terrorism, separatism and religious extremism' for peacefully exercising their human rights.

Uighurs are a Turkic speaking, mainly Sunni Islamic ethnic group with a long history at the heart of central Asia. In China, they are concentrated in the western region of the country, an area historically claimed by competing empires, warlords and ethnic groups. In 1949, the region was integrated into the People's Republic of China. In 1955, the People's Republic of China established the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR), in recognition of the Uighurs' predominance in the region, a status which according to the Chinese Constitution entitles ethnic minorities to organs of self-government in order to exercise autonomy.

According to the latest Chinese census in 2000, there are more than 18 million people living in the XUAR, of whom 47 per cent are Uighurs, 40 per cent are Han Chinese and 12 per cent are other ethnic groups, including Kazakhs, Kyrgyzs, Tatars, Uzbeks and Tajiks. The Han Chinese population has increased significantly from an estimated 6 per cent in 1949 due to central government policies that include providing financial incentives to Han Chinese who migrate to the region.

Fuel For Discontent - discrimination and forced labour
The Chinese state has failed to protect Uighurs from employment discrimination which has resulted in extremely high rates of unemployment among Uighurs in the XUAR and fuelled discontent. Many Uighurs report seeing 'Uighurs need not apply' signs posted by employers at job fairs demonstrating the state's inaction in enforcing anti-discrimination laws. Even university graduates who speak fluent Chinese have difficulty finding employment.

The XUAR is the only area of China where the general population (non-prisoners) is systematically subject to a government policy of forced labour. Under a system referred to as 'hashar', farming families are fined if they fail to send a family member, sometimes several times each year, to labour on agricultural, infrastructural and other public works for up to two to three weeks at a time. The individuals are given no compensation for their labour, no room or board, and are expected to pay their own transportation costs. Many describe sleeping out in the open and eating nothing but instant noodles for days while doing hard labour. Families that do not have an able-bodied young man to send are not
exempt - men and women as old as 70, and children as young as 12, are reported by Uighurs to have participated.

The systematic erosion of Uighur ethnic identity by the Chinese authorities is characterised by repression and human rights abuses. The Chinese authorities must immediately reverse policies that limit use of the Uighur language and severely restrict freedom of religion and Uighurs' ability to enjoy and replicate their culture.

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=18300

Category:

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Tags:

• Uighurs
• Uyghurs
• are
• in
• same
• situation
• as
• the
• Tibetans
• are.
• Their
• homeland
• Occupied
• by
• Chinese
• and
• faced
• with
• discrimination
• for
• 60
• years
• their
• own
• homeland.

[SaveUighur]

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[Cableethernet33000]

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[alchemist22]

@Cableethernet33000

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[Cableethernet33000]

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[Cableethernet33000]

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[alchemist22]

@Cableethernet33000

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[Cableethernet33000]

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[GrandmasterTigerfist]

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[alchemist22]

Is that the best you got? Pretty weak

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[Uighur986]

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