05.04.2013 Views

Communist China's Policy of Oppression in East Turkestan

Communist China's Policy of Oppression in East Turkestan

Communist China's Policy of Oppression in East Turkestan

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

133<br />

the rare journalists able to enter the region and send out a secret report<br />

about the oppression <strong>of</strong> Muslims, had this to say <strong>in</strong> an article<br />

titled "Inside Story Ch<strong>in</strong>a: Beij<strong>in</strong>g vs. Islam":<br />

S<strong>in</strong>ce then they have closed down unregistered mosques; forbidden<br />

the use <strong>of</strong> loud-speakers outside registered ones; banned Quranic<br />

classes for children and youths; prohibited foreign money for religious<br />

purposes; tightened exit requirements; imposed an age restriction<br />

on haj pilgrims; outlawed unauthorized religious publications;<br />

and cracked down on <strong>Communist</strong> party members visit<strong>in</strong>g mosques. 18<br />

One <strong>Turkestan</strong> resident <strong>in</strong>terviewed by W<strong>in</strong>chester (who refused<br />

to give his real name) said that s<strong>in</strong>ce he worked <strong>in</strong> a state <strong>of</strong>fice he was<br />

never able to go to the mosque, and that he would be sacked if he were<br />

to be seen do<strong>in</strong>g so. The reason was the <strong>in</strong>creased Ch<strong>in</strong>ese hostility to<br />

Islam which began at the end <strong>of</strong> the 1980s. A 1997 article <strong>in</strong> the <strong>of</strong>ficial<br />

<strong>East</strong> <strong>Turkestan</strong> newspaper, the X<strong>in</strong>jiang Daily, set out what party members'<br />

view <strong>of</strong> religion should be:<br />

Those party members firmly believe <strong>in</strong> religion and who refuse to<br />

change their ways after education should be given a certa<strong>in</strong> period to<br />

make corrections, be persuaded to withdraw from the party or dismissed<br />

from the party accord<strong>in</strong>g to the seriousness <strong>of</strong> their case. In recent<br />

years, 98 religious party members have been dealt with. 19<br />

In <strong>East</strong> <strong>Turkestan</strong>, those who are caught pray<strong>in</strong>g or study<strong>in</strong>g the<br />

Qur'an are punished, particularly if they are aged under 18, because<br />

Ch<strong>in</strong>ese law explicitly prohibits m<strong>in</strong>ors from study<strong>in</strong>g the Qur'an. In<br />

1999, for example, five 12-year-olds were arrested for read<strong>in</strong>g the<br />

Qur'an. When one <strong>of</strong> them fled from the police station, his family were<br />

arrested and tortured by the police (and told that they would not be released<br />

until he gave himself up). 20 That <strong>in</strong>cident is just one <strong>of</strong> the many<br />

frequently encountered <strong>in</strong> <strong>East</strong> <strong>Turkestan</strong>. Thousands <strong>of</strong> people have<br />

been deta<strong>in</strong>ed and tortured simply for liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> accordance with their<br />

religion, or for teach<strong>in</strong>g other people who want to do so. The accusa-<br />

Harun Yahya - Adnan Oktar

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!