Uighur Vs Chinese, E. Turkistan Vs Xinjiang

CAIRO — Chinese Muslims and Xinjiang are not the accurate terms to describe the Uighur people and their autonomous region in northwestern China, a leading advocacy group insists.

"Uighurs are not, in fact, 'Chinese Muslims', and this term is inaccurate and misleading," the Washington-based Uighur American Association (UAA) said in statement mailed to IslamOnline.net on Wednesday, March 3.

It said the nearly 10 million Uighurs who live within China are ethnically and culturally distinct from the dominant Han ethnic group.

"The Uighur people are the descendants of the nomadic herders and oasis-based people who have lived in the region for thousands of years," it explained.

"The Uighur people speak a Turkic language and possess a rich and distinctive culture that is closely related to that of their Central Asian brethren, in particular the Uzbeks."

The group underlined that not all Muslims in China hail from the Uighur ethnicity, and also not all Uighurs are Muslims.

"Uighurs are ethnically and culturally distinct from the approximately 10 million Hui Muslims who live in northwest China and other areas of the PRC.

"Hui Muslims are generally considered to be ethnically Chinese, and they speak the Chinese language," it explained.

"A significant number of Uighurs believe in Christianity. Christian Uighurs also face harsh persecution at the hands of Chinese government authorities."

Uighurs accuse Beijing of settling millions of Hans in their territory with the ultimate goal of obliterating its identity and culture.

The UAA insists that before the 20th century, there was no sizeable Han Chinese population in their region.

In 1949, when Beijing took over the region, Hans made up less than 7 percent of the population but now stand at more than 40 percent.

East Turkistan

The Washington-based UAA also criticized the widely-used name Xinjiang to refer to their homeland.

"Uighurs choose to use 'East Turkistan' to refer to their homeland, and not the official designation of the region by Chinese authorities in 1955 as 'Xinjiang.'"

It insisted that East Turkistan is the historical name of the region which was only changed when China annexed it by force.

"East Turkistan is the historic name of the region, which was invaded and occupied by the Manchus in 1884."

It added that Xinjiang, which means 'new boundary' or 'new realm', was adopted by the Manchus in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) and reflects the perspective of those who gave it this name.

"Use of the term 'East Turkistan' does not define a 'pro-independence' position. Instead, it is used by Uighurs wishing to assert their cultural distinctiveness from China proper."

East Turkistan has been autonomous since 1955 but continues to be the subject of security crackdowns.

Beijing views the region as an invaluable asset because of its crucial strategic location near Central Asia and its large oil and gas reserves.

Source: IslamOnline.
Link: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1235340126220&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout.