Recently, the Uyghur Blog was contacted by a Brazilian Master’s student in France who is researching Uyghur political mobilization worldwide. We feel that the questions raised were important, so we thought we would share the conversation. Hope you enjoy!
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Questions to Erland – Uyghur Blog
1. Since when and how did you get involved with Uyghur human rights issues? Do you consider yourself an activist of Uyghur human rights?
My involvement with Uyghur human rights started with some research I did as an undergraduate at my university. As a human rights student, I was assigned a basic research paper, and I had originally intended to write it on sweat shop labor in Taiwan. When doing the initial research for my paper, I stumbled across a story on an obscure minority population living in the northwest province of China.
For starters, I didn’t know that there was a Muslim minority in China, and I certainly didn’t know how to pronounce the name, Uyghur. After doing some research, I became captivated with the people. The Uyghurs’ culture, religion and story of struggle struck a chord with me. I knew right away that I was going to spend the rest of my time at the university studying these people, their situation, and ways in which people outside of China could help bring them the justice they deserve. This all started nearly four years ago and my activism will continue for many years to come.
2. What was the main goal behind creating the Uyghur Blog?
After I graduated, I still had an urge to research and write about the Uyghurs. I also wanted to find a way to share my research, and bring the Uyghurs’ story to the general public. There is no doubt in my mind that if more people knew about what was happening in Xinjiang, China would be closer to loosening their domestic policy in regards to the Uyghurs.
To date, the Uyghur Blog has had thousands of visits from over 54 different countries and it continues to increase traffic every day.
3. Why do you choose to call it Uyghur Blog and not East Turkestan Blog?
This is a very good question.
In human rights work, we are concerned with the individuals and their rights, and not necessarily the political classification of a region. My blog’s title has both the East Turkistan flag and the Chinese flag, to represent both views. However, you will see that in my articles I do not refer to the northwest region as East Turkistan, I refer to it as its correct name, Xinjiang.
I do not believe that Xinjiang and the Uyghur people should split from China and reclaim “East Turkistan”. This is not a feasible act and actually undermines the work and argument I make with China. As a human rights advocate, I am concerned about the Uyghurs’ rights and China’s repeated disregard for those rights.
4. Have the recent events in Xinjiang had an impact on the way you see things and the way you act to promote Uyghur human rights?
I, along with millions of others, were completely devastated when news came through about the July 5th riots. The first point that I want to make is that I don’t completely know what happened during these events. As an American living in the United States, the primary accounts I received were minimal, and the Chinese government was quick to spin “news” on both what triggered the protest and the casualties that were a result.
In regards to the videos that were leaked, I was absolutely appalled, yet I was not surprised. In no situation is violence tolerable. I firmly believe that any protest or movement will ultimately fail if it turns violent (failure can come in different forms). There was nothing gained by the Uyghur and Han violence. I do know that history shows that if a group of people are oppressed for a long period of time, and they feel that there is no hope, an event that invokes anger can often turn into violence.
To answer your question, I still promote Uyghur human rights the same way I did before the incident. If anything, the violence and resulting lockdown of Xinjiang has encouraged me to work even harder for the rights of the Uyghurs.
5. Would you say that Uyghurs and Tibetans face the same problems in China? Why do you think Uyghurs have less international visibility?
It is true that Uyghurs and Tibetans are in very similar situations. Both of their countries were consumed by China in 1949, and they both have fought for their independence.
One of the major differences is that the Tibetans are a Buddhist people, and the Uyghurs are Muslim. In the west, Buddhism is almost a majestic religion that is idolized and thought to be the paramount of peace. The opposite is true for the Uyghurs, as they have to work to dispel the falsities surrounding Islam.
The second major difference is that the Tibetans have a very visible spiritual leader in the honorable Dalai Lama, and the Uyghurs have a much less visible political leader in Ms. Rebiya Kadeer. The tide is shifting for the Uyghurs, though, and there have been improvements for the awareness of the struggle.
An example is the making of the documentary film, The 10 Conditions of Love. Another example is the United States government is getting involved. In 2007, two House bills were introduced condemning the oppression of the Uyghurs, see H. R. Res. 497, 110th Cong. (2007); H. R. Res. 608, 110th Cong. (2007). Three resolutions were also introduced in the Senate and House condemning human rights abuses of the Uyghurs in 2008, see H.R. Res. 1370, 110th Cong. (2008); S. Res. 574, 110th Cong. (2008); H.R. Res. 1140, 110th Cong. (2008).
While it is easy to get impatient, the struggle for human rights can take many years. The Uyghurs are starting to get international coverage, and I feel that they will have much more visibility in the years to come.
6. Have you met Uyghur organizations in the US? Which ones? In your opinion, what are the main goals of those Uyghur organizations abroad? What do they stand for?
The Uyghur Blog works closely with various human rights organizations in the United States and abroad. In regards to what they stand for, it can differ from organization to organization.
7. Is the US government open enough to the plight of Uyghurs? To what extent? Between the Bush and the Obama administrations, is there a change on how they approach the issue?
As I noted above, the United States has made a few gestures in regards to the Uyghurs’ human rights. This is a very difficult topic for the US government, though, and I don’t expect them to make any rash decisions. The reason for this is that China is a major economic partner, and currently owns much of the US debt. The United States will not demand that China reform its policies and confess its violations because of the implications to the economy.
President Obama is sensitive to human rights issues and is making an effort to develop positive international relations. However, the change has not been drastic in comparisons to the Bush administration. President Bush did in fact meet with Ms. Rebiya Kadeer, but was negligent in addressing China’s human rights violations. In my opinion, President Obama has the potential to lead the international conversation on human rights, and I remain optimistic for the future.
8. Who would you say are Uyghurs’ potential international allies?
When you ask who the potential international allies could be, I automatically think that this means there could be potential enemies. The Uyghurs are not fighting a war, nor are they looking for “allies.” In all honesty, the Uyghurs do not have the ability to do some of the things that are fundamental in a functioning society, and they don’t have time to think about international allies.
There are people who support the Uyghurs that hail from all around the world. People typically connect with other people based off of commonalities. These individuals are from places like Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, London and Washington D.C. However, the Uyghurs’ story is one that draws people from all different walks of life. This is evident by my interest and commitment to their struggle.
9. Do you believe is there a fundamental difference between the rhetoric of expatriate groups and the ones in Xinjiang? Do you believe people in Xinjiang agree with the World Uyghur Congress for instance?
This is a question that I would like to know the answer to. However, with the gag put on the Xinjiang province, it is difficult to know what people are thinking. A good start would be for the Chinese government to allow a free media, one where individuals can publish their own accounts, thoughts, and ideas.
In addition to this, the Uyghurs living in Xinjiang (and elsewhere in China) are afraid to speak up on account of the political pressure exerted by Chinese officials. There have been too many cases where people go missing when they voice an opinion.
An example of this is when having a conversation with a Uyghur in China, often times they will say that they cannot speak on a subject, or they will look around before giving an answer that does not address the question. They are constantly worried about spies or people reporting them as separatists, and even if it is an unwarranted anxiety, this is one of the forms of oppression the Chinese government have placed on the Uyghurs.
10. Besides political, civil and cultural rights, would you say Uyghur people face violations on their right to self-determination? In your perspective, what kind of “self-determination” are they looking for?
Violations on political, civil and cultural rights are exactly what are impeding on the Uyghurs self-determination. The definition of self-determination that I use for the Uyghurs is this: the act or power of making up one’s own mind about what to think or do, without outside influence or compulsion. This is not possible in Xinjiang for the Uyghurs. There are some Uyghurs who want independence, but I would argue that the majority are seeking a life where they can decide what they are going to do on a day-to-day basis.
Again, this self-determination is not void of Chinese rule. I do not think that the Uyghurs should be waived from all laws that govern China. However, I think that there is great potential for China to allow the Uyghurs to develop culturally, economically and spiritually, and this development will not impede on China’s ability to act as one of the world’s superpowers.
Congrats on the interview and good answers. Despite the fact that you don’t think Xinjiang should split from China, however, I’m still sure that the government would not be too pleased with your using both flags together. I’ve heard they don’t like that