Uyghurs
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The Uyghur (also spelled Uighur; Uyghur: ئۇيغۇر;) are an ethnic group of Central Asia. They are one of China's 56 officially recognized ethnicities.
Quotes[edit]
- Pakistan remains of the firm view that the perspective and consent of the concerned States should be given utmost importance when dealing with the affairs which fall exclusively within their sovereign jurisdiction.
- Uyghurs are the best among Turks. Their language is called Hakaniye Turkchesi (King's Turkish).
- Kashgarli Mehmud, Divanü Lügat-it-Türk (The Dictionary of Turkic Languages), 1072.
- Turfan (Turpan) is without doubt a forgotten Asian city of extraordinary interest. The size of it is remarkable: the inner, holy city, consisting only of temples and palace, measures 7,400 feet at the widest point of the still extant walls. Hundreds of terraced temples and grandiose vaulted edifices cover an extensive area of lane.
- "Along the Ancient Silk Routes" show, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, April 3 - June 20, 1982* The Uyghur language and script contributed to the enrichment of civilizations of the other peoples in Central Asia. Compared to the Europeans of that time, the Uyghurs were far more advanced. Documents discovered in Uyghur Region prove that an Uyghur farmer could write down a contract, using legal terminology. How many European farmers could have done that at that period? This shows the extent of Uygur civilization of that time.
- Shuyl Unver, Medicine in Uyghurs, Istanbul, 1936. pp. 4-6.
- In Middle Ages, the Chinese poetry, literature, theater, music and painting were greatly influenced by the Uyghurs.
- Wolfram Eberhard, History of China, Istanbul, 1947, p. 116.
- The Uyghurs knew how to print books centuries before Guetenberg invented his press.
- Lazlo Rasonyi, Turkic in History, Ankara, 1971, pp. 105, 107.
- Russian scholar Pantusov writes that the Uyghurs manufactured their own musical instruments; they had 62 different kinds of musical instruments and in every Uyghur home there used to be an instrument called a "dutar".
- Brief History of Uyghur Literature, Almaty, 1983, p. 7.
- Islam has been one of the main targets in the Chinese government’s campaign against the Uyghurs, and Islamophobia is being tacitly encouraged by Communist party authorities. Students, peaceful academics and even ordinary people for the simple reason for being Muslims are being jailed, with a massive high-tech surveillance state that monitors and judges every movement, subjecting the widely marginalised Uyghur people to a brutal siege. Internment camps have been set up with up to a million prisoners being indoctrinated and ‘re-educated’, leading to empty neighbourhoods, with major mosques in the major cities of Kashgar and Urumqi standing deserted. Prisoners in the camps are also being compelled to renounce God and embrace the Chinese Communist Party doctrines and prayers, religious education, and the fasting in the month of Ramadan being increasingly restricted or banned. Those who disobey are reportedly subject to torture such as solitary confinement, deprivation of food, water and sleep, and even waterboarding. The reason that so many are being held is because most are arrested for no discernible reason, other than to curb religious practice and erase Uyghur culture.
- Lukman Harees, Why The Muslim World Is Silent Over China's Repression of Uyghurs, World Uyghur Congress, 2 January 2019
- It is just that their thinking has been infected by unhealthy thoughts. Freedom is only possible when this ‘virus’ in their thinking is eradicated and they are in good health.
- The Xinjiang Papers, Directive’s Question-and-Answer Guide, The New York Times (16 Nov 2019)
- I did not find any instance of forced labor or cultural and religious repression. The imams we met at the mosques and the students and teachers at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute told us that they enjoy freedom in practicing Islam and that the Chinese government extends support for maintenance of mosques all over Xinjiang. I learned that there are over 30,000 mosques all over Xinjiang that form part of the religious life of the people there. Similarly, I did not see any sign of cultural repression. The Uyghur culture as demonstrated by their language, music and dance is very much part of the life of the people of Xinjiang. We saw that in official establishments, airports, subway stations, police stations or hotels the Uyghur language is being widely used. Even the copies of the Koran that we saw in the mosques and the Islamic center were translated into the Uyghur language. The most visible sign of protection of Uyghur culture by the government is the government-run bilingual kindergarten schools where children learn Putonghua as well as Uyghur language and culture from a very young age. ... My country is also plagued by terrorism. I hope my country can adopt some of these measures, such as setting up a vocational education and training center and carrying out poverty alleviation work, to help de-extremization. But they don't have so much money to do this.
2020[edit]
- I think often of persecuted peoples: the Rohingya, the poor Uyghurs, the Yazidi -- what ISIS did to them was truly cruel -- or Christians in Egypt and Pakistan killed by bombs that went off while they prayed in church.
- Pope Francis says in the book, "Let Us Dream: The Path to A Better Future," published on November 23, 2020. CNN News
2021[edit]
- Because of our extreme proximity and relationship with China, we actually accept the Chinese version... It is hypocritical. There are much worse human rights violations taking place in other parts of the world… But Western media hardly comment on this.
- Imran Khan, P.M. of Pakistan, commenting on the Uyghurs. Jul 2021 Imran ‘Taliban’ Khan in denial mode over Uyghur Muslim genocide, accepts China’s version and praises CCP
- What… our conversations have been with the Chinese, this is not the case, according to them... Whatever issues we have with the Chinese, we speak behind closed doors. China has been one of the greatest friends to us in our most difficult times.
- Imran Khan, P.M. of Pakistan, commenting on the Uyghurs. Jun 2021 interview with Jonathan Swan in June Imran ‘Taliban’ Khan in denial mode over Uyghur Muslim genocide, accepts China’s version and praises CCP
- If we have concerns we talk about them behind closed doors.
- Imran Khan, P.M. of Pakistan, commenting on the Uyghurs. June 12, 2021 interview to Canada’s CBC News on June 12. Imran ‘Taliban’ Khan in denial mode over Uyghur Muslim genocide, accepts China’s version and praises CCP
2023[edit]
- All persecuted groups, Uyghur or not, in the People’s Republic of China or elsewhere, should imitate [the Campaign for Uyghurs (CfU)], and invest in their own future.
- Marco Respinti, "The Campaign for Uyghurs Workshop in Vienna: Is Pro-Uyghur Advocacy at Its Turning Point?", Bitter Winter (September 16, 2023)
