3 ms·

Separatism shouldn't be a crime, and the government crackdown is completely out of proportion with the terrorism that has occurred.

DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
I agree on both counts, but the reality is that in China, politically agitating for separatism is going to get you in very serious trouble. I find that in Western reporting, the actual issues involved in Xinjiang are not discussed at all. Instead, it's presented as if the Chinese government had a problem with Muslims. The entire issue of separatism is rarely mentioned, nor is the fact that the largest Muslim group in China is actually the Hui (rather than the Uyghurs). The media is not really trying to inform the public about the situation and underlying conflicts (e.g., the East Turkestan movement), and instead painting a vastly dumbed-down, cartoonish picture that serves other propaganda interests.
- goatsi 7y ago
  You might be interested to know that the Chinese government is also cracking down on the Hui: https://www.npr.org/2019/09/26/763356996/afraid-we-will-become-the-next-xinjiang-chinas-hui-muslims-face-crackdown https://www.npr.org/2019/09/26/763356996/afraid-we-will-beco... "All Hui-run nursery schools, child care centers and religious schools were forcibly closed in Ningxia and across Yunnan and Henan provinces, which are also home to a large number of Hui Muslims." "Imams in Henan and Ningxia must now attend monthly training sessions that can last for days. There, imams told NPR, they are taught Communist ideology and state ethnic policy and discuss Xi Jinping's speeches. Imams must then pass an exam testing their ideological knowledge in order to renew their license each year, mirroring how the government issues licenses to imams in the Xinjiang region."
  - DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
    That sounds roughly like how the Catholic Church is treated in China.

3 ms·

Separatism shouldn't be a crime, and the government crackdown is completely out of proportion with the terrorism that has occurred.

by squiggleblaz 7y ago

DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
I agree on both counts, but the reality is that in China, politically agitating for separatism is going to get you in very serious trouble. I find that in Western reporting, the actual issues involved in Xinjiang are not discussed at all. Instead, it's presented as if the Chinese government had a problem with Muslims. The entire issue of separatism is rarely mentioned, nor is the fact that the largest Muslim group in China is actually the Hui (rather than the Uyghurs). The media is not really trying to inform the public about the situation and underlying conflicts (e.g., the East Turkestan movement), and instead painting a vastly dumbed-down, cartoonish picture that serves other propaganda interests.
- goatsi 7y ago
  You might be interested to know that the Chinese government is also cracking down on the Hui: https://www.npr.org/2019/09/26/763356996/afraid-we-will-become-the-next-xinjiang-chinas-hui-muslims-face-crackdown https://www.npr.org/2019/09/26/763356996/afraid-we-will-beco... "All Hui-run nursery schools, child care centers and religious schools were forcibly closed in Ningxia and across Yunnan and Henan provinces, which are also home to a large number of Hui Muslims." "Imams in Henan and Ningxia must now attend monthly training sessions that can last for days. There, imams told NPR, they are taught Communist ideology and state ethnic policy and discuss Xi Jinping's speeches. Imams must then pass an exam testing their ideological knowledge in order to renew their license each year, mirroring how the government issues licenses to imams in the Xinjiang region."
  - DiogenesKynikos 7y ago
    That sounds roughly like how the Catholic Church is treated in China.