Miracle in Xinjiang

Even though the world’s attention is focused on events related to Taiwan, we in the editorial office have decided to dedicate a special issue to another permanent topic that is currently in the spotlight, but we are convinced that it will soon return to the pages of numerous media outlets concerned about the situation in Xinjiang. Yes, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has been the subject of many Western media and various non-governmental organizations for the past few years, writing about alleged human rights violations and criticizing the Chinese authorities for alleged oppression of minorities. Words such as genocide are used to describe the conditions in which the ethnic groups in this Chinese autonomous region, especially the Uyghurs, live. The media campaign gave birth to the fact that today even a below-average educated citizen from the other side of the planet, say from Bosnia and Herzegovina, has his own opinion about the Uyghurs and “knows” something about that topic, mainly that “the Chinese are oppressing the Uyghurs”.

Propaganda about the “genocide against the Uyghurs” goes from two tracks, one is from the angle of “violation of human rights” which is intended primarily for the Western market, the other is “oppression of Muslims” which is intended for Arab and Muslim countries. Both of these tracks intersect in small BiH. Exposure to Western media and the Western cultural and historical circle, as well as inter-Muslim emotion, led to a perception that is now difficult to deconstruct. Still, it’s worth a try. After all, the concern for human rights in Xinjiang also comes from those circles that are not overly concerned about the state of various minorities that are still rushing towards Europe as a result of colonialism and numerous wars. As for Muslim countries, it is interesting to note that, regardless of the fact that it is a motley world of countries, some of which are quite hostile to each other, none of them found it necessary to join the European condemnation of the oppression of the human rights of Muslims in Xinjiang. Someone will say that it is hypocrisy, but where does that hypocrisy reside in the first place?

There is not a single country, be it in the west of Europe or the east of Asia (and even in the east of Europe or the west of Asia), which calmly watches the development and activity of secessionist movements on its territory, no matter on what basis they are based. The secessionist movements in Xinjiang were based on religious radicalism, ideologically identical to the one that ran through the veins of the Eurasian continent, and with which the struggle still continues. China fought against secessionism, which was fueled by religious radicalism. This fight is also preventive, in eradicating poverty and educating groups susceptible to emotional manipulation. Some of the results of that struggle can be found in this special issue.

Faruk Boric
editor-in-chief of “Voice of China”