In a recent event related to international human rights, numerous Uighur Muslim women residing in Turkey leveraged the platform of International Women’s Day to march against an extradition agreement between Turkey and China. Their demands called for an end to mass detention facilities in China’s Xinjiang Province. This mirrors a 2020 legislation by the United States House of Representatives which endorsed sanctions on Chinese officials accountable for the oppression of Uighur Muslims.
Understanding the Uighur Muslims
The Uighurs, a primarily Muslim minority Turkic ethnic community, trace their roots to Central and East Asia. They speak a language akin to Turkish and consider themselves culturally and ethnically close to the nations of Central Asia. As one of China’s 55 officially recognized ethnic minority communities, the majority of this ethnic group resides in the Xinjiang region of China, while sizable populations are also found in nearby Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.
Despite being an autonomous region within China, Xinjiang, often touted for its abundance of minerals, is enveloped by economic disparity and cultural discord. The indigenous Uighurs regard their livelihoods and identities as threatened, even though China only recognizes them as a regional minority, dismissing the idea of them being indigenous.
Persecution Narratives of Uighurs
Over time, Xinjiang’s economic upswing has motivated an influx of mostly Han Chinese in quest of better jobs, thereby deepening the plight of Uighurs. This scenario escalated into unpredictable violence, peaking in 2009 with a riot that left 200 people, predominantly Han Chinese, dead in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang province. Uighur Muslims have long endured abuses under accusations of terrorism and separatism by the Chinese government, including persecution, forced detention, intense scrutiny, surveillance, and alleged slavery.
However, China defends its mass incarceration camps as ‘educational centres’ aimed at purging Uighurs of extremist thoughts and radicalisation while honing vocational skills. It alleges Uighur groups aspire for an independent state due to their cultural ties with neighbouring nations, thus raising concerns about potential support for a separatist movement in Xinjiang from countries like Pakistan.
Implications of China’s Extradition Treaty
China’s extradition treaty with Turkey, approved in December 2020, is poised to fortify judicial cooperation and facilitate a crackdown on cross-border criminals, including those labeled as terrorists. This treaty coincides with burgeoning economic and financial symbiosis between China and Turkey, with China already acting as Turkey’s main supplier of Covid-19 vaccines. Since the 1990s, Turkey has hosted a vibrant Uighur diaspora, gaining global attention via demonstrations, conferences, meetings, and briefings.
The ratification of this treaty by Turkey could potentially undermine Uighur culture, as it would empower China to suppress the largest Uighur diaspora outside Xinjiang. The treaty may serve as another tool for China to prosecute its beleaguered ethnic minority.
India’s Stance and Proposals for the Future
Despite the international attention that the Uighur crisis has garnered, the Indian government has largely remained silent on the issue.
Improvements in the situation would entail an urgent revision of international stances towards China’s actions, calling for an immediate halt to the persecution of Muslims and the prohibition of Islam in Xinjiang. Suggested steps forward include the closure of China’s “Vocational Training Centers,” along with the release of religious and political prisoners from prisons and detention camps. By embracing multiculturalism and recognizing the Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims as ordinary citizens equal to native Chinese, systemic change can be encouraged.