China stigmatizes Muslim Uyghur as terrorists – causes of violence are ignored

Following the deaths of six Uyghurs who were shot by police officers in north-western China, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) accuses the Chinese government of stigmatizing the Muslims as suspected terrorists and of stirring up even more violence in the Uyghur settlement areas by introducing new laws to restrict the religious freedom of the Uyghur people. "With every new restriction of religious freedom, the Chinese authorities contribute to a development in which previously liberal Muslims turn against the Chinese rule and towards a more conservative interpretation of Islam," warned Ulrich Delius, the STP's Asia-consultant, in Göttingen on Monday. The escalation of violence in the autonomous region of Xinjiang / East Turkestan has been going on for the last few months. On Monday, the Chinese state media reported that six Uyghur "gangsters" were killed near the city of Kashgar when an Uyghur had tried to set off an explosive device. "It is typical for China's media to provide poor information about such incidents concerning the Muslim minority," said Delius. "We demand an independent investigation of the incidents in order to resolve the crime." According to the human rights activist, China's attempts to curb the escalation of violence are pointless: "First, men were forbidden to wear beards. Then, there was a ban on bread-knives and a new regulation prohibiting yoghurts and dairy foods on public buses – for fear of terrorist attacks. Now, a new law is supposed to prohibit Uyghur women to wear veils. Instead of asking for the real causes of the increasingly violent protests, China reacts helplessly with pure repression."

Ulrich Delius, head of STP's Asia department, is available for further questions: +49 551 49906 27 or asien@gfbv.de.

Header Photo: Gustavo Jeronimo/Flickr