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TOM WATKINS
to
Uyghur
American Association forum
: China's minority
"problem" is a world problem
With the recent earthquake and uprising in
Tibet, China seems chiseled into the
consciousness of most Americans. Yet, few in the
West realize there are 55 nationality groups of
people that China officially recognizes as
distinct minority groups.
There are the Miao Bai, Dai, Xibe, Jingpo, Usbek,
Hui, Mongolian, Yao, Li Wau, Manchu, Dong and
Uighurs to name a few. Minorities make up a
small percentage of the 1.3 billion Chinese but
constitute a large portion of the internal
tension. Through the more-than 5,000 years of
Chinese civilization there have been numerous
minority uprisings against majority rule.
Yet I suspect it's the Uighurs (also spelled
Uygur or Uigur and pronounced "we-gar") the
world will be hearing more about in the future.
I hope for the sake of the Chinese, Uighurs and
all of humanity we do not hear of the Uighurs
around conflict, terror and bloodshed — yet, I
further suspect we will in one fashion or
another.
The Uighurs are a Turkish people and were a
major empire in centuries past. The Uighurs
converted to Islam several centuries ago. The
Uighur population is disputed and ranges from 8
to 15 million strong. They are found throughout
China but are concentrated in the Xinjiang
(meaning "New Territory" or "New Frontier")
Autonomous Region in Northwest China. Xinjiang
is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Mongolia
to the northeast, and Kirghizstan and Tajikistan
to the northwest and west. To the west and
southwest lie Afghanistan and Pakistan; to the
south are Tibet and India. To the east, 1,500
miles away, lies Beijing, China. Xinjiang is so
remote that it is obscure or nonexistent to most
in the West.
The Uighurs refer to this area by its historical
name, East Turkistan or Uyghuristan.
The faces of the Uighurs share few similarities
with what is viewed as the typical Chinese, or
Han people. They are proud to be distinct. I
remember meeting a Uighur man once in Xian, the
ancient capitol of China, and the end-point of
the historic Silk Road. I asked him his
nationality and he said, "Chinese." Then, with a
full-mouth grin and looking around the market so
not to be overheard, he uttered, "I am a Uighur
— not Chinese!"
Many call the Uighurs the Tibetans' Muslims. The
Uighurs, like the Buddhist Tibetans, are asking
for more accommodations for their disparate
culture and beliefs. The Chinese will respond
that many Uighurs are a terrorist faction in bed
with al-Qaeda and bent on violent separatist
activities. There is fear that Uighurs are
planning on disrupting the Beijing Olympics to
begin on ba-ba-ling ba, or 8-8-08, to gain
notoriety for "their cause."
There have been historical crackdowns on the
Uighurs that have been stepped up since 9-11.
Many believe the Chinese have used the
"international war on terror" as justification
to tighten the grip on the Uighur people. Human
rights groups contend the Chinese government
exaggerates Uighur terrorist threats so it can
clamp down on the Uighurs and arrest and torture
those they suspect of being dissidents.
Like the Tibetans, the Uighurs believe the
Chinese government has instituted cultural
genocide against them. The Chinese would respond
by claiming that after the 1949 liberation, old
feudal religious habits and privileges were
abolished and they have removed the control of
the "reactionary ruling class" while today the
Uighur people enjoy a higher standard of living
and more economic opportunities. The Chinese
Government sees some Uighurs as terrorists
espousing separatist ideology linked with the
larger Islamic Jihadist goal to overthrow
existing governments and install a religious
theocracy. They claim it is for these reasons
China must clamp down.
Given these extreme views between the ethnic
minority Uighurs and the Chinese government it
is just a matter of time before the scab will be
removed and the internal Chinese festering sore
will come into full view. When the scab is
removed, it is likely to be ugly and difficult
for the world to ignore. Will the cause be seen
as oppression, cultural genocide, employment and
economic deprivation as charged by the Uighurs;
terrorist attacks of a people longing for
independence; or linked to al-Qaeda or Muslim
extremists as an act of civil war against the
Chinese government?
China's history has been plagued by foreign
invaders and internal divisions. Perhaps the
greatest fear the Chinese Ruler has is losing
control that would splinter China like their old
ally, the Soviet Union. The months leading up to
the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing will
continue to put the spotlight of the world on
China. Forces internal to China and from without
are jockeying to share that limelight. China's
desire to have a "harmonious rise" will be
profoundly tested with the world watching over
the next several months.
The Chinese have vowed to never again be
splintered by external or internal forces. These
realities dictate that we will be hearing more
about the Tibetans and Uighurs in the future.
Let's be clear, unlike Las Vagas - what happens
in China- does not stay in China. Unrest in
China will impact us all.
Tom Watkins is and education and business
consultant. He has a lifelong interest in China
and has traveled there many times since his
first trip in 1989. He served as Michigan's
State Superintendent of Schools, 2001-2005 and
President and CEO of the Economic Council of
Palm Beach County, FL, 1996-2001. He can be
reached at: tdwatkins@aol.com.
http://hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080619/OPINION01/806190625/1202/NEWS12
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