Muslim Uighurs of China: Strangers in their own Land

Muslim Uighurs of China: Strangers in their own Land

By Ron Gluckman /Kashgar, Turpin, Urumchi and around Xinjiang, China

Meanwhile, two Xinjiang separatists were reportedly executed and a number of others sentenced to jail. "They [Beijing leaders] want to take advantage of this situation and clean house," says Dru Gladney, a Central Asia expert at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii.

While there is little evidence so far that repression has actually worsened in Xinjiang, Beijing's tough posturing can only add to the resentment felt by an already disgruntled Uighur populace.

The stepping up of Beijing's propaganda efforts reflects its deep-seated sense of insecurity in Xinjiang, and no wonder. The province today exists in an apartheid-like state, with its Uighur and Han Chinese residents leading separate - and, grumble locals, unequal - lives.

http://www.newageislam.com/muslim-uighurs-of-china--strangers-in-their-own-land--/islam-and-human-rights/d/825