Interactive: China’s Uighur unrest – Ethnic violence has wracked China’s restive Xinjiang region, leading to a tight government clampdown
Al Jazeera, 22 September 2014
For decades, China’s far western Xinjiang region has been a troubled place. The area is the homeland of the Uighur ethnic group, Sunni Muslims who have more in common with Central Asia than with China’s majority Han ethnic group.
Discontent against Chinese rule simmers among many in Xinjiang, leading to frequent outbreaks of ethnic violence. China’s attempts to quash the violence, though, have led some Uighurs to complain of a broader clampdown on their culture and religion.
Living standards in Xinjiang have risen since the region was taken over by China in 1949. The government has invested heavily to exploit the region’s natural resources, but many Uighurs say they have seen little of that wealth. And they feel swamped: Vast numbers of Han Chinese have migrated to Xinjiang to take advantage of the economic opportunities there.
As an ethnic minority, Uighurs enjoy affirmative action policies such as relaxed university admission standards and less stringent policies on birth control. But resentment in the region is growing: In one recent incident in July, nearly 100 people were killed in Yarkand County by Uighur separatists armed with knives.
For complete article, please click here: