Uighurs Muslims

In News

  • Recently, the official documents from China’s Xinjiang have shed new light on the violent methods used by authorities against Uighurs.
  • Several countries, including the US, UK, Canada and the Netherlands, have accused China of committing genocide – defined by international convention as the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”.

Who are Uighurs?

  • They are a predominantly Muslim, Turkic ethnicity who live in China’s North-Western Xinjiang Province.
  • They speak their own language, which is similar to Turkish, and see themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations
  • They are mainly a sedentary village-dwelling people who live in the network of oases formed in the valleys and lower slopes of the Tien Shan, Pamirs, and related mountain systems. 

About Xinjiang 

  • It lies in the north-west of China and is the country’s largest region. 
  • It is technically an autonomous region within China.
    • The region, rich in minerals, and shares borders with eight countries, including India, Pakistan, Russia and Afghanistan.

Source:TH