Resentment Simmers in Western Chinese Region - NYTimes

[somebozo]

No religious freedom in China?? What bigoted disinformation is that?? China even has Ministry of Hajj for managing Muslim pilgrimage affairs..

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Gentlemen, I know Buddhism is the mainstream religion, and its practice is if I were to say a way of life, and no inteference there . Of what I am given to understand that a lot of Churches are undrground (namely Catholic, because of its allegiance to Rome) Anyways, my post was mostly to understand the suicidal stance of the Uyghurs.Icloo you are bang on when you say they should not be political, but how many faiths do you know that mix politics with religion ? other than the obvious

From what I know, the Uyghur unrest was an "ethnic riot".

It was mainly based on racial and political issues, and separatism.

The first day's rioting, which involved at least 1,000 Uyghurs, began as a protest but escalated into violent attacks that mainly targeted Han ("ethnic Chinese") people.

July 2009 Ürümqi riots - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I saw a documentary, and they asked people "Are you Han?" before they attacked. They attacked people based on their racial background, not their religious background.

That said, I don't deny there are issues regarding on religion in China, but the Uyghur riots were mainly based on racial/ethnic factors.

 

[lcloo]

Religion = Good

Religion + Politics =Troubles

It is not only in China, it is the same everywhere, even in my own country. The worst that can happen is if you add racial issue to the formula.

Religion + Politics + Racism= BIG BIG TROUBLE.

 

[New Vision]

So are the Uyghurs not Han (mainstream Chinese)? (just because they are Muslim)I could be Hindu, Muslim or Christian, but am still Indian. So what did they want, they knew they could not win, they knew they would be overwhelmed, its blatant suicide

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

So are the Uyghurs not Han (mainstream Chinese)? (just because they are Muslim)I could be Hindu, Muslim or Christian, but am still Indian. So what did they want, they knew they could not win, they knew they would be overwhelmed, its blatant suicide

It's slightly complex.

When outsiders think of Chinese people, they usually think of "Han Chinese", who make up the overwhelming majority of the Chinese population. Being "Han" is not a religious label, a Han Chinese can be Buddhist/Christian/Muslim etc.

But in China, minorities like Uyghurs, Zhuang, Hui, etc. are also considered to be "Chinese people" just like the Han. In fact it's quite difficult to tell the difference sometimes, there is a lot of genetic similarity between these groups and the Han.

Uyghurs are Turkic peoples, so some might see them as racially separate from the mainstream. I don't know why some of them decided to riot, perhaps they wanted more government investment in Xinjiang or some other such reason. It's hard to say for sure.

 

[somebozo]

So are the Uyghurs not Han (mainstream Chinese)? (just because they are Muslim)I could be Hindu, Muslim or Christian, but am still Indian. So what did they want, they knew they could not win, they knew they would be overwhelmed, its blatant suicide

Originally Posted by New Vision
So are the Uyghurs not Han (mainstream Chinese)? (just because they are Muslim)I could be Hindu, Muslim or Christian, but am still Indian. So what did they want, they knew they could not win, they knew they would be overwhelmed, its blatant suicide

Indian propoganda school has done well to shrink grey matter in some otherwise brilliant Indian. Ughair riots were ethinic not religious and Ughairs have no appeals even in Muslim Pakistan, Iran or Saudi Arabia. Their joint venture with TTP failed miserably. Even the BBC documentry made on Ughair riot calls it ethinic riot not religious one. And majority Ughairs belong to Sufi sect which your Minister of co-joined state Israel recently called a very peaceful version of Islam.

In any case your are having difficulty understanding ethinics and religious association. So by your logic Han cannot be muslims??

 

[Brotherhood]

So are the Uyghurs not Han (mainstream Chinese)? (just because they are Muslim)I could be Hindu, Muslim or Christian, but am still Indian. So what did they want, they knew they could not win, they knew they would be overwhelmed, its blatant suicide

Simple, those killing innocent people are "terrorist", they have no identity nor religion, don't related them to common uyghurs or
muslims and all othe minorities in China.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Simple, those killing innocent people are "terrorist", they have no identity nor religion, don't related them to common uyghurs or
muslims and all othe minorities in China.

Exactly.

The people who killed innocent civilians are criminals, it doesn't really matter if they are a minority or not. It doesn't matter what their race is, what their religion is, or any other such factors.

 

[New Vision]

Thank you for your replies, only wish Somebozo, would not use every opportunity to rub Indias nose in the dirt. Some of you guys say it is ethnic, not religious. But the Uyghurs were Muslim and they did riot and it caused much International damage to China. Seems like nobody knows exactly what the issue was all about. Maybe the real reason is not revealed to everybody as yet. Further, do you guys in China think this problem will arise again ? Has the Chinese govt, engaged them in dialogue, to understand their needs etc ? Could this spread , and get other ethnic/minorities on to the bandwagon and cause a serious threat to Chinese leadership and unity ?

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Regarding minorities in China, the man who lit the "Olympic torch" in the Beijing Olympics was ethnically "Zhuang".

I doubt anyone outside of China realised that though! There is a lot of genetic similarity.

 

[New Vision]

Regarding minorities in China, the man who lit the "Olympic torch" in the Beijing Olympics was ethnically "Zhuang".

I doubt anyone outside of China realised that though! There is a lot of genetic similarity.

I plead ignorance of Chinas deeper etnicity, its like asking me if I were Hindu,Muslim or Christian, it is not written on my forehead, I look typically Indian

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Further, do you guys in China think this problem will arise again ? Has the Chinese govt, engaged them in dialogue, to understand their needs etc ? Could this spread , and get other ethnic/minorities on to the bandwagon and cause a serious threat to Chinese leadership and unity ?

I think the situation is "contained" at the moment, but it's difficult to say if the "underlying tensions" have increased or decreased to any significant extent.

In all developing nations, you will get "separatist movements" based on racial/cultural factors, etc. It would be impossible to say for sure that it won't happen again, but I do feel positive about the investment in Western China, and the future of the region.

China, India and Pakistan should cooperate in trying to contain the separatist movements in our respective countries, as well as finding ways to reduce tensions in the future.

 

[siegecrossbow]

Regarding minorities in China, the man who lit the "Olympic torch" in the Beijing Olympics was ethnically "Zhuang".

I doubt anyone outside of China realised that though! There is a lot of genetic similarity.

I didn't know that Li Ning is Zhuang ethnically! Just goes to show how much you can learn on this forum, even about your own country!

Has the Chinese govt, engaged them in dialogue, to understand their needs etc ?

The government will try to address the Uighur peoples' needs to the best of its ability. They already have a huge advantage since they are minorities (many Han Chinese actually report themselves as minorities if one of their parents or grand parents is a minority) since they get a bonus on the College entrance exam. What Xinjiang needs is more investment and infrastructure and if the Uighur wants to be a part of China's success story they must get a good education (the government should build more schools and give teachers higher incentives to go to Xingjiang). This is true not only in China but all over the world!

I do think that the government should stop letting minorities off the hook easily (a Han Chinese person might get executed will a Uighur might get life sentence for killing someone) when they commit crimes though. All should be equal before the law.

As for the terrorists planting bombs in public areas... I expect the Chinese government to open up dialogue with them as soon as the U.S. opens up a dialogue with Osama Bin Laden. I hope that the People's Armed Police will follow the American example when they deal with these scum.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

I didn't know that Li Ning is Zhuang ethnically! Just goes to show how much you can learn on this forum, even about your own country!

Yeah I didn't know that either until I checked it. There are actually a lot of famous people in China who are ethnic minorities.

I can't tell the difference lol, if they speak good Chinese and they look "East Asian", I assume they must be Han. (In Hong Kong there aren't many "Chinese minorities", it's almost entirely Han). Also, Li Ning's last name is 李, which adds to the confusion.

The government will try to address the Uighur peoples' needs to the best of its ability. They already have a huge advantage since they are minorities (many Han Chinese actually report themselves as minorities if one of their parents or grand parents is a minority) since they get a bonus on the College entrance exam. What Xinjiang needs is more investment and infrastructure and if the Uighur wants to be a part of China's success story they must get a good education (the government should build more schools and give teachers higher incentives to go to Xingjiang). This is true not only in China but all over the world!

Exactly right. We need more investment in the deprived areas of China, that will improve people's lives and make them less likely to commit antisocial behaviour and crime.

Carrot and stick approach. Carrot = More investment and opportunities... Stick = Severe punishment to anyone who still chooses to commit a crime.

 

[below_freezing]

I didn't know that Li Ning is Zhuang ethnically! Just goes to show how much you can learn on this forum, even about your own country!



The government will try to address the Uighur peoples' needs to the best of its ability. They already have a huge advantage since they are minorities (many Han Chinese actually report themselves as minorities if one of their parents or grand parents is a minority) since they get a bonus on the College entrance exam. What Xinjiang needs is more investment and infrastructure and if the Uighur wants to be a part of China's success story they must get a good education (the government should build more schools and give teachers higher incentives to go to Xingjiang). This is true not only in China but all over the world!

I do think that the government should stop letting minorities off the hook easily (a Han Chinese person might get executed will a Uighur might get life sentence for killing someone) when they commit crimes though. All should be equal before the law.

As for the terrorists planting bombs in public areas... I expect the Chinese government to open up dialogue with them as soon as the U.S. opens up a dialogue with Osama Bin Laden. I hope that the People's Armed Police will follow the American example when they deal with these scum.

don't even mention executions, since the government changed the law and reduced the number of crimes execution applies in... you can kill and still get away with a life sentence now... in fact, you can kill 3, execution is reserved for **** then kill, butchering the body, being a public official and killing someone, etc.

you know, kidnappers that get shot during the rescue process but still live are only sentenced to 12 years in prison?

law and order is going down the drain.