The research question is To what extent the Chinese government’s polices have resulted in and accelerated Uyghur’s diaspora?

INTS Seminar
Nov.16.2020
First draft
Introduction
The occurrences in the 2009 Urumqi riots have triggered multiple debates on the relationship between the Chinese government and the minority Uyghurs. In the incident, a group of Uyghurs raided a law enforcement station thereby killing two people. 118 more people were injured from the incident. The riots emanated from a long-standing feud between the Chinese government and the minority ethnic group of Uyghur in the Xinjiang province. . Debates have since ensued to explain both the causes and the course of the attacks with both factions manifesting different reasons to substantiate their actions. One notable action by the Chinese government was labeling of the Uyghurs as terrorists. At the international platform, the debates have been grounded on whether the Uyghurs are terrorists, hence, warranting the treatment that they have been accorded or whether the Chinese government is poised to oppress one of its demographic segments on socio-political and economic backgrounds.. Questions have also been raised on whether the Uyghurs are mere victims of the impacts of global diaspora. Diaspora is a term used in reference to a scattered population that manifests a different place of Origin. History indicates that the Uyghur originated from Turkey before migrating into China. Their settlement in China was not welcome bearing their unique cultural practices compared to those of the Chinese. Diaspora framework analysis indicates that the Uyghurs befit the characteristics of victim diaspora. In the framework, a population must be placed under pressure and dispersed to multiple residences. Uyghurs trace their origin from Turkey and they migrated to Xinjiang. Initially, the Xinjiang province was independent and free from the control of China. However, the government of China has consistently revised the independence agreement to render Xinjiang within their rule. The actions by the government triggered a mass migration of the Uyghurs into other nations especially the surrounding central Asian nations and Australia. The other element of victim diaspora is the migrating community maintains a high degree of shared identity. The Uyghurs are victims because of their strong allegiance to their Islamic identity. They are also intending to be autonomous, something that has triggered the friction with the host government. Ultimately, the Uyghurs have the commitment to restore their homeland despite the challenges imposed by the government.[Debata, Ranjan, & Tian, Guang. “A cultural rights approach vs. nationalist mobilization: An applied anthropological case study of the Uyghur diaspora community.” Practicing Anthropology, 33, no. 4 (2011), 35] [Kanat, Kilic. "Repression in China and its Consequences in Xinjiang." Current Trends in Islamist Ideology 17, (08, 2014): 132]
Rarely does china evoke images of radicalism. Yet, bus bombings and mosque razing have dominated the Xinjiang province. The Chinese go government has cited extremism and acts of terrorism to convince the international community of their agenda. Human rights organizations have refuted the PRC claims on terrorism by expressing the high level of dissatisfaction among Xinjiang’s Uyghurs. Questions are as...