dogu-turkistan-sempozyumu

East Turkistan as a Cradle of Civilizations / Prof Alimcan Inayetthey are aiming to increase the educational and cultural level of the people inthe region via education in Chinese, it is also obvious that the actual goal is toaccelerate the assimilation process.7. 6. Freedom of prayer is restricted. Under the Chinese Constitution, anycitizen is entitled to believe or not believe in a religion or faith. However, thepeople of East Turkistan have been deprived of this freedom. The entire Turkicpopulation in East Turkistan is Muslim, yet they are not free to practice theirreligion. Muslim people who are civil servants are not allowed to pray or fast. In anatmosphere where unemployment, moral degradation, prostitution, alcohol anddrugs prevail, religious preaching and the Islamic way of life have been prohibitedon the excuse of fundamentalism and terror.7. 7. The Uyghur people are subjects to serious insults and degrading behaviourdue to the increasing number of Chinese (Han) residents. Such behaviourincludes not being allowed into hotels, being exiled from the cities, being barredfrom going to certain areas, arbitrary arrests, being treated like terrorists, anddifficulties encountered in bureaucratic procedures (e.g. passport formalities), plusmany more.7. 8. The natural resources are being exploited and the people of the region aresuffering from scarcity, despite the abundant wealth. However, the AutonomousRights and Authorities specify that the utilization and exploitation of naturalresources shall belong to the the autonomous region itself.ConclusionDespite the claims of the Chinese, East Turkistan has always been a Turkicland, not a Chinese land. The history of these lands has been written with theblood of the Turkic nation. However, this land, the cradle of Turkic culture and acradle of civilizations, has suffered from Chinese occupation from the 19 th centuryon. After this occupation, the Chinese administration has pursued a systematicassimilation policy in order to integrate this region into China and to Sinicizethe Uyghur Turks in the region. Today, the factor that lies under many of theproblems in East Turkistan is the assimilation and annihilation policies that arebeing pursued by the Chinese against the Uyghur Turks. The Chinese (Han)people have always regarded other non-Chinese ethnic groups as a potential285