The East Turkestan State is an occupied Muslim country swallowed by communist China in 1949 while Muslims were completely heedless of their urgent causes and as a result of Muslims disunity and dispersion. Actually, it is purely a Muslim land whose history we dealt with in detail in a previous article "The Story of Islam in China". Moreover, we listed the huge resources possessed by such a great Muslim country as well as the economic, political, strategic and religious capacities it enjoys in another article "Resource-rich East Turkestan". In this article, we will discuss plans adopted by communist China to have dominance over the Muslim state of East Turkestan.

China's plans to annihilate Muslims

Communist China's plan can be outlined as follows:

First: Bloody oppression and the "break the bones" strategy. It is a well-known communist approach. However, intensity of bloody oppression clamed down during the 1970s and 1980s to be resumed by the early 1990s after Islamic republics in the southern USSR had gained independence. With the rise of Self-determination theory, Chinese government reacted so violently that jails were filled with those of opinion and huge numbers of Turkestani people were killed in addition to exiling prominent figures. Amnesty International visited the region of Turekestan in 1998 and issued a detailed 92-page report on Chinese bias and persecution. Moreover, International Amnesty stated that the report is just the tip of the iceberg and that they could not reach the details of most violations due to media and information blackout imposed on the whole territory  of Turkestan.

Furthermore, persecution grew much more intense after September 11  attacks in the USA. The whole world embarked on the so-called "War on terrorism", an opportunity which was seized by China to declare the discovery of Al-Qaeda-based terrorist cells in Turkestan!  Hence, China's war on Muslims was publicized bearing in mind that the USA, of course, has to show no objection in return for China showing no objection to the US violations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo. Undoubtedly, Muslims are the victims in all cases!

Anyway, the last succession of events may give us an indication to the manner in which China deals with Turkestani Uighurs. To face a peaceful demonstration demanding investigating the case of unjustly killing two Uighurs, army and police forces gathered, warplanes hovered and curfew and martial law were imposed. Moreover, about two hundred people, according to Chinese census, or six hundred, according to Turkestani census, were killed, not to mention those injured and those detained.

Actually, it is a frequently repeated scene of oppression and bias perpetrated under the pretext of war on terrorism. In the past, Pharaoh said, "Leave me to kill Musa (Moses), and let him call his Lord (to stop me from killing him)! I fear that he may change your religion, or that he may cause mischief to appear in the land!" [Ghafir, 26].

Second: Effacing the Muslim character. Communists are fully aware of the fact that Muslims' power is fueled by their faith and that it is unfeasible to subordinate them so long as they cling to their religion. Hence, a major technique adopted by China in its war against Muslims in Turkestan was trying relentlessly to efface the Muslim character. In this regard, they close many mosques and religious schools, ban 18-year-old and younger persons from offering Prayers in mosques and ban youths in universities from bearing Mus-hafs (Arabic copies of the Qur'an). Besides, they confiscate any Mus-hafs they find in any institution, including mosques. Mr. Fahmi Huwaidi stated that he, while visiting East Turkestan during 1980s, did not find even one Mus-haf in any mosque! He also stated that giving an Imam a Mus-haf as a gift caused him to cry out of joy as Mus-hafs are hardly available in Muslim Turkestan!

Moreover, Chinese government ban school students from performing Prayers and teachers from growing their beards. Furthermore, it bans 50-year-old and younger people from performing Hajj. We need not mention such meaningless provocations as that stated by the London-based Times Magazine to the effect that Islamic figures are coerced to drink wine before being executed!

Actually, Allah has said the truth in the Qur'anic verse that reads, "They wish that you reject Faith, as they have rejected (Faith), and thus that you all become equal (like one another)" [Al-Nisa', 89].

Having cited just few examples, the case is too complicated to be tackled as a whole in one article.

Third: The containment policy. Chinese government tries to convince Muslims in Turkestan that they enjoy autonomy within the Chinese State. However, the so-called autonomous government is headed by a person who is devotedly loyal to the Chinese government and who is more secularist than Chinese secularists and more violent than Communists! Thus, communists policy is put into force by Muslim hands, a tactic that is applicable in many Muslim countries where the Muslim government is more cruel to citizens than external imperialism. Ridiculously, it may happen sometimes that external imperial powers interfere to liberate Muslim countries from their rulers!

Fourth: The policy of political marginalization and deliberately underestimating population numbers. China always deliberately underestimate Muslims population, especially those of Uighur ethnicity being the natives of Turkestan. According to Chinese census, Uighurs are 8 millions only, while, according to Uighur census, they are more than 30 millions. Moreover, China tries to underestimate the number of Chinese Muslims in general counting them to be 60 millions while, in fact, they are more than 100 millions. Accordingly, China divides Muslims into nine ethnicities so that each ethnicity might be very few in number, which allows it no representation in parliament or municipality or any other administration. In addition, China never allows the rise of a prominent Turkestani figure in the Chinese society.

An exception to this was allowing the rise of the Muslim female figure, Rabi'ah Qadir, who turned later into a prominent economic figure. Nevertheless, once Rabi'ah showed sticking to some Islamic fundamentals refusing to be divorced from her husband exiled to the USA being accused of separatist activity, the Chinese government snubbed the economist Rabi'ah Qadir, arrested her, quickly put her to trial and gave her a 13-year jail sentence. She was later exiled to the USA after her property had been confiscated. Soon after, Westerners nominated her to the Nobel Peace Prize, of course not out of love for Muslims, but just to spite China. However, China's reaction was condemning the nomination as China considers Rabi'ah Qadir a destroying factor of China's unity!

In fact, deliberate political marginalization blocks all channels of connection and expressing opinion before Turkestanis in China. Actually, all senior offices in the Turkestan state are assumed by Chinese belonging to the Han ethnicity, the largest constituent of China. As for Uighurs and other Muslim ethnicities, they have no political significance.

Fifth: The policy of forcing Muslims, especially Uighurs, to leave Turkestan for other parts of China. By doing so, China aims at merging them into the Chinese society and at decreasing their numbers in their mother country Turkestan. Displacement takes place through expelling workers and farmers to work in places far away from Turkestan in very humble jobs.

To this effect, Rabi'ah Qadir reported a disastrous event where some 100,000 unmarried Uighur 15-25 year-old girls were forced to leave Turkestan for different regions of China in 2007 in defiance of their families. This resulted in a state of sharp tension in Turkestan, bearing in mind that doing so might cause these girls to work in immoral jobs in the absence of family and money.

Six: Reversely having Han-Chinese migrate to and permanently settle in East Turkestan. This is done with the purpose of changing the demographic composition of the territory and thus eventually and automatically turning the whole region into a non-Islamic region, a policy which is similar to that adopted by Jews in Palestine, where great facilities were made for Jews to migrate.

Similarly, China did the same especially after the detection of oil in Turkestan during 1980s and the introduction of huge petrochemical industries there, which motivated the Chinese to head for Turkestan to live and work. As a result of such a systematic policy, in addition to the previous point discussing expelling Uighurs from Turkestan, demographic composition changed so dramatically and seriously. Using the Chinese census, Muslims constituted 90% (Uighurs 78% and other ethnicities 12%) of the total population of East Turkestan in 1942. At the same time, Han-ethnic Chinese constituted only 6% of the population while other ethnicities constituted 4%. According to 2008 census data, Han-Chinese constituted 40% of the total population (!!), which represents a serious peril to the future of the region, taking into consideration that it is an economically promising region. With this in mind, China is not unwilling to have many other millions of people migrate to Turkestan in order to cause a crucial change to the demographic composition in behalf of Han Chinese.

Seventh: The policy of deliberately giving low-quality education to Uighurs in particular and to Muslims in general in East Turkestan. Actually, Turkestani schools and universities are of a much lower level than that of their Chinese counterparts. Besides, extreme poverty hitting Muslims compels them to work in farmlands, factories and mines and as hawkers at early stages of their life and are thus deprived of education opportunities. With the passage of time, ignorance, with all its consequences, becomes prevalent, which, automatically or deliberately, has the effect of depriving them of assuming senior offices or having advanced educational degrees. Moreover, ignorance leads to disconnecting them from the outer world and decreases the possibility of their awareness of surrounding variables, which together leads to weakening the Muslim Turkestani society.

Furthermore, Chinese authorities banned speaking the Turkic Uighur language in Turkestani schools and public institutions with the aim of cutting communication among Turkestanis and severing the ties with Turkic-speaking neighboring countries liberated from the USSR in addition to Turkey. By doing so, China also aimed at severing their ties with the few Islamic resources they have, which are written in Turkic-Uighur language in Arabic letters. Actually, there is a policy clearly aiming at rendering the Muslim Uighur people scientifically and religiously ignorant, bearing in mind the great scientific advancement achieved by China which is in the interest of only the Han ethnicity and no other.

Eighth: The policy of economically weakening Muslims. Muslims, the natives of the country, are oppressively and violently put to harsh economic and work circumstances. Constructing petrochemical and other oil-related factories prevailed in East Turekstan after the detection of oil. Thousands of workers are working in such factories.

However, there are too many available job opportunities for Han Chinese, whereas no job opportunities are available for the natives. Ren Xianfang, a Chinese analyst at IHS Global Insight, told the Agence France-Presse (French news agency), "Around 70 percent of any extra investment is gobbled up by the oil and petrochemical industries, dominated by state-owned enterprises. Consequently, this investment has largely benefited the Han, China's main ethnic group. Actually, there are very few Uighurs in the oil industry."

This is not limited to the industrial field alone but extends to the agricultural field as well, which is dominated by governmental and quasi-governmental companies that employ only Han Chinese. For example, a regional quasi-military group, "the bingtuan", control huge tracts of farmland, employing more than 2.2 million people there, the vast majority of whom are Han Chinese plus a minority of Uighurs.

The same applies to the commercial field, where Uighurs are prevented from progressing up commercial posts  and their enterprises are not allowed to increase in size. Moreover, the Chinese government pursued Uighur merchants even outside Turkestan. In this regard, the Chinese government attacked a district, known as Xinjiang Village, in Beijing including a Uighurs gathering, closed thirty Islamic restaurants and thus displaced one thousand Muslims.

Yi Xianrong, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, ascribes the low economical status of Uighurs to "the level of language and education of the Uighurs, and not direct discrimination, which prevents them from progressing up the social ladder".

In my opinion, it is an excuse that is uglier than a guilt! Why did not this researcher wonder why Turkestani Muslims are scientifically retarded? Actually, the USA uses the same pretext, i.e. the low level of education, to justify why crime and unemployment rates among black Americans are high. Thus thinking, the USA totally ignores the deteriorating status of black Americans schools and universities even in great cities.

In fact, it is the same unjust policy although of a different shape. Thus, the policy applied in East Turkestan is something recurrent in the history of oppression and tyranny.

Ninth: The policy of media blackout. Actually, it is a deep-rooted policy in the history of the world practiced by all tyrants. For example, the Qur'an narrated the polytheists of Mecca to have said, "Listen not to this Qur'an, and make noise in the midst of its (recitation) that you may overcome." [Fussilat, 26]. Undoubtedly, knowing about events may be influential and this is why oppressors view that knowledge and media blackout is a means to dominate the whole situation.

China is a globally known for media blackout, a policy applied not only by China but also by all communist countries. In spite of the spread of modern IT devices, such as satellite channels and internet, Chinese authorities insist on making certain that information is not reported to the public. During the last crisis, for example, China jammed mobile network signals in East Turekstan plus reducing and often interrupting the internet speed to the minimum in order to make sure that information will not be reported outside China. Among accusations Rabi'ah Qadir charged with was sending some Chinese newspapers abroad, which is considered, according to the Chinese law, disclosure of the state's secrets. Being a local Chinese newspaper, news it contains is restricted to the Chinese people while the whole world is not permitted to read it!

Accordingly, and because of such strict media blackout, the whole Muslim or non-Muslim world know nothing about events in the Muslim state of Turkestan, which, therefore, loses any opportunity of external help and is dealt with solely by China. In addition to blackout, Chinese media often distort facts in an attempt to deceive those who watch them declaring that China is dealing with terrorist groups in Muslim Turkestan. As a matter of fact, China is dealing with a subdued people, whose lands are stolen, resources are plundered, blood is shed and sanctuaries are violated "but most of men do not know!"

Tenth: The policy of hindering intellectual and cultural communication with the Muslim world. No doubt, such communication might clear the image for Muslim countries, which might lead them to cut binary relations at least, which proves to be of negative effects on China's economy depending largely on foreign trade. Therefore, all cultural, intellectual, artistic and sport channels leading to Turkestan are blocked. Moreover, Muslims living there are banned from leaving China and Muslims from outside are only individually or in specific cases allowed in.

On visiting China in June 2009 shortly before the last events, the Turkish president Abdullah Gül was keen to visit the Muslim territory of Turkestan, which is attached to Turkey through religious and ethnic ties. The Turkish president visited China to conclude significant commercial agreements of about $1.5 BN. Nevertheless, the problem that ended up with killing hundreds of Uighur Turks broke out only few days after his visit. Actually, some analytics view it a deliberate timing, which indicates a message from the Chinese government to the Turkish people and president. The message is to the effect that a distinction should be made between China-Turkey relations and China-Turkestan relations and that there is no room for communication between this territory and any other foreign element even if a reverend president or a great country!

The Turkish street flared up with anger against the Chinese provocation staging many demonstrations before China's embassy.

Moreover, many Turkish MPs resigned Turkey-China Interparliamentary Friendship Group. However, the Chinese government did not change its stance and continued considering the issue of Turkestan a national-security-relating issue which by no means accepts change.

So far, I have cited ten complete methods adopted by China to subjugate the Muslim Turkestani people.

What are we to do?

The question which should worry us now, having known the long Islamic history of such an occupied territory, the richness in resources the country enjoys and to what extent China was oppressive to it, is: What are we to do?

Will the Ummah sit on its hands regarding this issue? Should we put it off till we liberate Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan? Are not there any right due on us toward this occupied state? Should Muslim peoples be satisfied with shame as their governments are satisfied therewith?

The answer to such important questions will be the scope of our next article, if Allah so wills.

I ask Allah to glorify Islam and Muslims.

Dr. Ragheb ElSergany     

https://en.islamstory.com/en/artical/3407501