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After the
September 11th, Chinese authorities are labeling Uighurs
as "terrorists" and their organizations as "terrorist".
Before we will deny these accusations, we would like to
define first the terms a terrorist act, a terrorist, and
a terrorist organization. A terrorist act is an act
involving or threatening with cruelty towards civilians
by an individual or a group in achieving his/their
political goals. Terrorists are individuals involved in
terrorist activities, and a terrorist group is a group
consisting from terrorists. Terrorist groups are based
their ideas on wrong and evil basis, and their acts
target the basics of peaceful democratic societies, laws,
and the very lives of people. As the US President,
George W. Bush, mentioned, terrorism does not know
nationality, border limits, or religion.
After the September 11th events, the US government have
announced the list of 27 terrorist groups, which
threaten the world community. There was no single
evidence linking Uighurs to above-mentioned groups,
which are directly or intangibly related to the
activities of Osama bin Laden or the Taliban government.
Today Uighurs are under the Chinese occupation. Uighurs,
contrary to the Chinese claims, are not ethnic Chinese.
The religion, language, national customs, and even
physical appearances of Uighurs are different from those
of Chinese, and Uighurs view themselves as a Turkic
Muslim nation. East Turkistan is not a part of China,
and China recently occupied by China and turned into a
colony.
Uighurs never accepted Chinese occupation. During the
last 100 years of the occupation, Uighurs fought
fiercely for their independence. Indeed, only during the
last century, Uighurs have twice succeeded to gain their
independence and established the East Turkistan Republic.
Uighurs paid a heavy price for their freedom with blood.
A deal of Stalin and Mao led to Chinese occupation of
East Turkistan in 1949.
Uighur nation had never given up its dream of liberation,
and it has been continuing its struggle against the
occupation during the last 50 years. The activities both
inside and outside of East Turkistan are the best
examples of the Uighur struggle. More than 100 thousand
Uighurs are jailed in East Turkistan, and many were
executed as "terrorists", "splittist", and as being
involved in "illegal religious activities". Every Uighur
wants to leave freely and to get rid of the Chinese yoke.
Chinese authorities are not only labeling Uighurs living
in East Turkistan, but also Uighur organization abroad.
On November 14th during the press conference organized
by China's External Affairs Ministry in Beijing, its
spokesman, Zhu Bang Zau, mentioned several Uighur
organizations as "terrorist". He specifically mentioned
the East Turkistan Informational Center and its
journalist, Dilshat Reshit. East Turkistan Information
Center, which was opened five years ago in Munich,
Germany, caries out its activities totally on the
principles of democracy and the freedom of speech. The
main goal of the center is to present latest and
accurate information concerning East Turkistan to the
world community. The center has become a respected voice
of Uighur people that delivers first-hand information
often obtained with great risk. Mr. Dilshat Reshit is
the center’s journalist based in Sweden. The false
accusations of the Chinese authorities once again
demonstrate nervousness of the Chinese government on the
Uighur issue. |
