Map of the Western (purple) and Eastern (blue) Göktürk khaganates at their height, c. 600 CE. Lighter areas show direct rule; darker areas show spheres of influence. Graphic source: Wikipedia Commons
The Uyghur peoples of China are a Turkic people of Central Asia who live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (also known by its controversial name East Turkistan or Uyghurstan). In shades of widely dispersed ethnic groups, there are Uyghur diasporic communities in Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Germany, Canada, Turkey, and a smaller one in Taoyuan County of Hunan province in south-central China, as well as in major Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai.
But that is not all. There is a U.S. connection as well which implies that their fate is somehow connected to the U.S. as well, as there are Uyghur enclaves in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, DC.
In a possible conflict the Uyghurs of China may ally themselves with their co-religionists, Muslims, throughout Asia and the Middle East. This situation presents an excellent opportunity for diplomacy. The Chinese can assist the Coalition, provide greater assets for security in the region, on the one had, yet the U.S. can promote human rights and disabuse China of the notion that it can repress Muslims indiscriminately. China is particularly apt to listen to world opinion currently as host of the Olympic Games. So how is China doing?
According to the Times of India:
Chinese authorities have replaced top police and security officials in the Muslim dominated Xinjiang province, which is the hotbed of separatism and political violence. They have also closed down 41 "illegal" places of worship.
Chinese authorities claimed the houses of worship were used as training grounds for conducting a "holy war." Xinjiang, which borders central Asia and Pakistan, has been tied to a pro-independence movement connected to its co-religionists across the border.
82 "suspected terrorists" have been held in the past six months in view of fears that they might disrupt the Olympic Games.
The re-organization brought one of the three new core commanders to the fore, Hanabati Sabukhaya, an officer from the Kazak race, since Xinjiang borders Kazakisthan and several other countries including Pakistan and Russia, the choices are based on age-old ethnic conflicts. This will no doubt increase the tension, or at least temporarily, quell the political opposition.
The opportunity will likely be lost on U.S. diplomatic efforts. The Islamic world largely is suspicious of U.S. foreign policy and one primary reason is that the U.S. makes little tangible efforts to protect the human rights of Muslims.
Map of the Uyghur Khaganate and areas under its dominion (in yellow) at its height(not correct) see Uyghur Empire, c. 820 CE. Graphic source: Wikipedia Commons
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