THE (ir)REGULAR RANT
The minimum read for the maximum knowledge.
Tell you what - I'm glad that I renamed this 'The Irregular Rant', cos it sure isn't weekly! No excuse, have just been distracted. But I'm working on that now, so hopefully there will be some sort of regularity to my irregular ranting.
I've had a few recommendations for topics - thank you! But this one has been developing for a while and just isn't receiving the media coverage that it should.
If there's an event that is newsworthy and you'd like to understand more, let me know what it is. Missed an issue of The Irregular Rant? Find previous topics here.
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1. Uighur Persecution in China
Who are the Uighurs?
The Uighurs (pronounced ‘whee-ghers) are an ethnic minority that live in the north west of China, in the Xinjiang region. They are Islamic and speak a language related to Turkish. They are the original inhabitants of the Xinjiang region – which is considered an autonomous region of China (as is Tibet), and they consider the area to be East Turkestan/Chinese Turkestan. There are large Uighur diaspora in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Australia.
And? Why do I need to know about them?
In a nutshell, the Chinese government are persecuting the Uighurs and everyone is looking the other way.
Up to one million ethnic Uighurs are currently imprisoned in ‘re-education camps’, in order to rid them of any religious behaviour. The camps are reportedly run in a military style with beatings, torture and sleep deprivation, along with ideological lectures, hymn sessions re. the great Chinese Communist Party and self-criticism essays.
There have been reports that entire villages have lost men between the ages of 15-90 to these camps, and next to no one has been released since 2015. It is not just men though; women and children are also imprisoned. Uighurs that live overseas, such as those in Australia, have been chasing missing family members (often Uighurs with family abroad are more likely to be imprisoned in the camps), but incoming calls and texts make it more dangerous for those living in China as they are punished for foreign connections.
Additionally, China has invested billions of dollars into strengthening the security/surveillance of the region. There are now thousands of checkpoints, and with facial recognition and security cameras on almost every block, people of interest (read: every Uighur) can be tracked to the second. All this information is analysed at an intelligence headquarters where individuals can be identified then connected to friends and family, their home address, their blood type and their identification number, as well as all the locations they have visited in the last few months. This information is then used against Uighurs if they visit mosques, or family members that are known to police (read: every Uighur), or display any evidence of being against the Chinese state (read: everything they do is ‘against the Chinese state’ – even if they are non-religious communist members). Furthermore, in true Minority Report style, the state is using this data to analyse behaviour, and then predict potential crimes, protests or violence.
These ‘security measures’ are only used on the Uighurs in the area, not on the Han Chinese who make up about one third of the local population. While there is foreign interest in this technology and the way that it is being used – and the possibility that China will implement it further than just the Xinjiang region – the fact that Han Chinese are being omitted from any analysis is telling.
Recently the Chinese Communist Party encouraged Uighurs to obtain passports and travel. When they applied, blood samples and retina scans were completed, and then any Uighur who travelled overseas was subsequently taken to an internment camp. Even folk singers and sportsmen have disappeared since travelling.
Even those Uighurs who are not interned cannot live freely. The Chinese Communist Party allows no religion, so prevents head scarves or beards, religious names, fasting during Ramadan and forces Uighurs to eat pork and drink alcohol – both of which are forbidden in Islam.
But why are they being persecuted?
Well, it depends who you ask… The Chinese Communist Party are denying that there are camps, and if there are camps, then they say that the Uighurs are attending them of their own accord, and in fact, they’re just boarding schools anyway…
Earlier this year, the Chinese Communist Party released a white paper stating that there has been an increase in the number of terrorist attacks in the Xinjiang region since September 2001, and that ‘murderous devils’ were screaming the evil words of 'getting into heaven by martyrdom with jihad'. The Communist Party states that Uighurs are joining ISIS, and they must be stopped. There is no data to support this view.
Unsurprisingly, this line has been denounced by the World Uighur Congress, stating: Counter-terrorism is a political excuse to suppress the Uighurs. The real aim of the so-called de-radicalisation is to eliminate faith and thoroughly carry out Sinification.
Further, any violence that has erupted in Xinjiang is thought to be a direct response to the increasing oppression that the Uighurs are facing from the Chinese government, not from any coordination with ISIS.
Satellite pictures and reports from Uighur diaspora have confirmed that there are camps and that people are going missing (and never returning) on a daily basis. Even those Uighurs who do not practice Islam and are Communist Party members have been targeted.
Some Australian academics have weighed in and said that the persecution isn’t so much about religion, but about the complete annihilation of the Uighur culture – and asap. Their language is now banned from schools, along with traditions, food and clothing.
Okay. So it’s happening, and it’s probably to suppress them. But why is no one doing anything about it?
Well, it is more accurate to say that no countries are doing anything about it. Australian Uighurs have been petitioning their local and federal MPs to look into the disappearances of their relatives and friends – there are at least 17 Australian residents that are currently missing in Xinjiang. While Penny Wong (Shadow Foreign Minister – still, sigh) has stated that the government should investigate the cases, the LNP has been quiet on the issue. In fact, Uighurs in Australia have also cited intimidation and harassment from Chinese authorities – often holding family members over in China hostage until they send personal information about their lives here.
Most countries have been quiet – with the exception of Turkey (Uighurs speak a language similar to Turkish), who did, momentarily, express concern – and were the only Islamic nation to do so.
No other country has done anything other than issue critical statements. This is due to China’s power on the world stage – their influence and investment is now so comprehensive that they can commit human rights abuses in plain sight, and no one is willing to call them out for it. They are the world’s second largest economic power and are willing to provide economic aid as hush money, and indeed they did this in exchange for Turkey's silence on the topic.
Further – at the end of April 2019, UN Secretary General, Antonio Guerres travelled to Beijing for a Belt and Road summit and failed to even mention the persecution.
A camp about an hour out of Xinjiang capital, Urumqi on Google Earth.
The same site in October 2018 from the Sentinel satellite showing the incredible growth in just six months
So what happens next?
I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but it is hard to see how this situation turns itself around. The economic might of China seemingly allows them to break whatever human rights conventions exist. I suspect this is the start of the complete annihilation of the Uighur culture and people. Australia needs to improve ties with China and we’re already in a difficult squeeze with the impending trade war between the US (our largest imports partner) and China (our largest exports partner), but we need to be cognisant of the power that they wield.
Unfortunately, this is unlikely to end well for the Uighurs, who are potentially only the first to feel the wrath of 21st Century China.
2. Interesting Things
After that cheerful read, here are a few other things equally or (hopefully) more cheerful!
Read:
I finally created a website with some photos and words. Please check it out, and send it (and this email!) onto your friends.
I have a weird obsession with the opioid epidemic and read this article last month. I thought it was thought provoking and shows just how powerful addiction can be.
Watch:
This gem won the Oscar for best short documentary this year, and it's on netflix. Worth your while. Period. End of Sentence.
Has anyone watched When They See Us yet? I've heard rave reviews so I'm going to start it next weekend.
Also, this blind man sunk a free throw first shot.
Listen:
I've been listening to Billie Eilish non-stop this last month.
As of June 11th, 2019, 21 women in Australia have been killed due to domestic violence.
That is one death every 7.7 days.