Ep.1 The plight of the Uyghur Muslims of Xinjiang with Arslan Hidayat
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For the past few years news about the plight of the Uyghurs in the restive north-western region of Xinjiang, known as East Turkestan, has gradually worsened. The destruction of Mosques, the use of technology to monitor every movement of the population, the banning of fasting in Ramadan, the introduction of Han Chinese visitors to each home to observe the family unit, the closing of Islamic seminaries, have all been documented as the Chinese state attempts to disassociate Islam from the daily practice of ordinary believers. But it is the introduction of camps, what the Chinese government euphuistically calls “re-education centres” that have focused minds around the world that nothing less than the annihilation of an entire religious and cultural identity is taking place in full view of the international community.
The Uyghurs have always resisted Chinese rule and their heroism in the face of Chinese imperialism predates 1949, when Chairman Mao brought the Communists to power. The Uyghurs suffered under the repression of the Cultural Revolution, where religion was suppressed. But in recent years, China’s rapid development has allowed it to acquire sophisticated forms of state control, never before seen in the history of authoritarian rule. The state regulates every inch of the lives of its Muslim population, on a scale and ambition that informs us about the type of world China is trying to create.
China is growing in economic and military strength. It’s economy by some measures is now in the number one position (when measured by purchasing power) and it is using this wealth to project influence across the Asia pacific and beyond. A recent UN HRC report condemning China’s actions was notable by the absence of any Muslim country on the list. China has bought the silence of a great number of states, including Pakistan, that borders the disputed region and Turkey, that claims to support oppressed Muslims the world over. PM Imran Khan was recently asked about the persecution of Uyghurs, but he claimed to have no knowledge about them. Even though Pakistan plays host to China’s centrepiece economic project, the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, that links the Southern port of Gwadar through a superhighway to China via Xinjang. The Chinese are currently engaged in a trade war with America and so cynically the plight of the Uyghurs has become a lever to apply pressure, with a sudden interest in the American press. This concern will be short lived, as America abandons its human rights mantra in exchange for political expediency.
To try and understand more about the Uyghurs and their struggle, this week I am pleased to have as our guest on the Thinking Muslim Podcast, Arslan Hidayat, an Uyghur activist and campaigner currently based in Turkey to talk to us about the extent to which Muslim Uyghurs have been subject to China’s programme of repression. Arslan has been active for many years, bringing to the world’s attention the situation in East Turkestan, long before it was adopted by the mainstream press. He remains in contact with members of the community and has become a source of information for many. He can be found on Twitter @arslan_hidayat and I would encourage you all to follow him.