Something that needs to be understood is that Russia and China face much greater risks from Islamist terrorism than we do. Either country has more Muslims than we do, their native Muslim populations are much more conservative and radical than ours, and both countries border states in which violent radical Islamist terrorism is commonplace. Both countries have resorted to extreme measures to suppress their native Muslim populations. The editors of the Wall Street Journal comment on some of China’s latest measures:
It’s Ramadan, and Beijing is again restricting the peaceful practice of Islam in its western territory of Xinjiang. This year government employees are required to ensure that friends and family aren’t fasting or otherwise observing the Muslim holy month. Under the “Together in Five Things†campaign, cadres are even living in the homes of the Uighur minority, according to the World Uyghur Congress.
This escalation may be due to the arrival of Chen Quanguo, who took over as Xinjiang’s Communist Party secretary in August after running Tibet for five years. He has introduced the system of “grid-style social management†he pioneered in Tibet that allows the government to closely monitor households.
According to state media, Xinjiang’s security budget increased 19.3% in 2016 to more than $4.4 billion, and 30,000 new officers were hired. In February Mr. Chen described security as “grim†and urged the People’s Armed Police to “bury the corpses of terrorists and terror gangs in the vast sea of the people’s war.†So much for winning hearts and minds.
New “Regulations on Anti-Extremism†that came into effect in April outlawed veils or “abnormal†beards. Parents can’t give children “overly religious†names such as Muhammad or encourage them to follow the Muslim faith. All Xinjiang residents were forced to turn in their passports late last year and must give a DNA sample when they apply for a new one.
Other measures include antiterror drills, shows of force by the security services and the installation of satellite tracking devices in cars. Mandatory activities for students are deliberately scheduled on Fridays to prevent them from attending mosque services, and rewards are offered for reporting men who wear a beard or women who wear a veil.
Control over the Uighur population goes far beyond religion. The use of their native language is discouraged in schools, and economic opportunities are limited. The best jobs go to Han Chinese settlers, who are given incentives to move to Xinjiang. Peaceful dissent is not tolerated. The Uighurs’ most articulate spokesman, Minzu University Professor Ilham Tohti, was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 for promoting separatism.
A number of real world experiments are going on. China is testing whether levels of suppression that would be impossible and, more importantly, rejected here will be effective in eliminating whatever threat their native Muslim population poses. The Chinese authorities have the advantage that they simply don’t give a damn about anyone but the Han Chinese.
We, too, are being tested. If the reports above are correct, they are in clear contravention of international accords to which China is a signatory. In typically Chinese fashion, their willingness to enter into international accords has almost no relationship to what their conduct.
Ours is a test of values. Do we really believe in the freedoms we claim to? Or in the international order? I can make no predictions about the outcome of China’s test. I would bet a shiny new dime that we will fail our test.
To give a more complete picture, the Chinese government is an equal opportunity offender, they are terrible to all religions. Examples include Tibetan Buddhists and Christians (they have been demolishing a lot of churches lately). And the conflict the editorial mentions has ethnic aspects as well, the Hui (ethnic Chinese Muslims) are treated well by Chinese government standards.
To be truthful, I don’t even know if pointing it out by Americans would even help those persecuted in China. Nothing is more likely to trigger even worse actions then suspicions of the Chinese of foreign involvement.
If the West was successfully dealing with Islamic radicalism then it would be a powerful incentive for the Chinese government to change its behavior. As it is, Israel is prob more of a role model right now.
This does not even get into the discussion that freedom of conscience and religion has very different meanings to most of the world.
As long as China is our outsourcer of choice, I don’t expect more than background muttering. As for the rest of the world, well, theres just terrible US jails to fret about
And for your morning dose of surrealism, China Focus: White paper hails “great progress” of human right protection in Xinjiang from the official Xinhua news agency.