dogu-turkistan-sempozyumu

Ethnic and Religious Discrimination in East Turkistan / Ahmet Faruk UnsalRegion and about 50 million Hui people (Muslim Chinese), most of whom live inor to the east of Beijing. According to unofficial data predictions, this number mayrise to 200 million. The Uyghur people within this Muslim structure have strongties with both the Muslim world and West Turkistan (Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan,Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan) in both demographic and religious terms. As EastTurkistan, which possesses an important location both geopolitically and in termsof mineral resources, is a neighbour to energy-rich countries to the west, it is anarea that China attaches special importance to. This region, located to the northwestof China, is two times the size of Turkey; moreover, it has always functionedas a bridge between the East and the West via the Silk Road, is a neighbour to theWest Turkistan states, to which she is historically, demographically and religiouslyconnected, and has relationships with important Asian countries like Mongolia,Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. China is aware of the fact that any conflict inCentral Asia would affect East Turkistan and therefore the political and economicsecurity of the entire country; thus the Autonomous Uyghur Region is regardedas a buffer zone and any freedom movement that seems likely to emerge in theregion is prevented through violence and oppression. It is worth noting that thetragic influence of international alliances established by China during the processof suppressing freedom movements over many years has played a decisive role alsoin the demographic unity that extends beyond Chinese borders. In other words,the West Turkistan geography, which demographically resembles the geographyof the entire Turkistan, has undergone a similar process to that experienced inEast Turkistan. The Soviet administration supported the oppressive practicesof the People’s Republic of China in the region and even provoked China toact against any movements in East Turkistan; this was due to Soviet concernsabout any independence movement in neighbouring countries that might set anexample for the Muslim population in her own territory.This political situation in the region also affected the Islamic Republic of EastTurkistan, which after long efforts managed to declare independence in the cityof Kashgar. Stalin, who was uneasy with such an independent organization on hisborder, supported Mao, the victor in the conflict between the Nationalists and theCommunists in China; this republic was only able to survive for five years, beingdefeated by the joint oppression of China and the Soviet Union in 1949. Thistragic situation has lasted until now, and has deteriorated due to the failure of this437