Moses in the NYT

Dr. Russell Leigh, that is. My old Professor at the U of M was on CNN last year during the Olympics and now he has an Op-Ed in the NYT clearly and coldly explaining what is really going down.

Check it out.

In my last post i said that the Han arguments of "ingratitude" are laughably weak -- and they are -- but not the force that supports and enforces these arguments. In that same post, in the last paragraph, I share the sentiment that Moses clearly states in his Op Ed: Uighers and Tibetans are doomed.

Here, a relevant quote from Wendell Berry:

"A community, especially a rural community, is understood by its public servants as provincial, backward and benighted, unmodern, unprogressive, unlike 'us,' and therefore in need of whatever changes are proposed for it by outside interests (to the profit of the outside interests). Anyone who thinks of himself or herself as a member of such a community will sooner or later see that the community is under attack morally as well as economically. And this attack masquerades invariably as altruism: the community must be plundered, expropriated, or morally offended for its own good -- but its good is invariably defined by the interest of the invader. The community is not asked whether or not it wishes to be changed, or how it wishes to be changed, or what it wishes to change into. The community is deemed to be backward and provincial, it is taught to believe and to regret that it is backward and provincial, and it is thereby taught to welcome the purposes of its invaders."

Violence in Xinjiang

Uighers in Urumqi rioted over the past 24 hours, destroying property, killing people and fighting the police. The immediate cause for the riots was a brawl in Shaoguan, Canton Province that began after some fool posted a note on QQ saying that 6 Uigher boys had raped 2 Han women. Han workers then rampaged through the Uigher worker dormitory and killed an unknown number of people.

Seems a lot like LA after the Rodney King verdict right? Well the similarities do not end there. The conflict between the Uigher minority and the Han majority is racial, cultural, economic and political. It spans the entire community. It is one community vs. another and the battle is very uneven. On one side is the state, and on the other is a minority incorporated into the state through force.

After the Communists liberated China in 1949, they went about pacifying and unifying the nation. That included invading and occupying Tibet and invading and occupying Xinjiang. Throughout history, "Uigherstan" and Tibet have been under the control of either local strongmen/religious leaders or split along local tribal/power lines or subjugated to erratic and temporary Imperial rule. Only after 1950, when the Uigher leadership -- on its way to Beijing for a conference with Mao -- all were killed in a "plane crash" and the Tibetan leadership escaped into exile in India, only after the leaders were disposed with did the regions of Tibet and Xinjiang come under Imperial/Communist rule.

This is nothing new in the history of these areas. The only thing different is that it is happening now, in front of our eyes, in a globalized world with the media there to project images and words.

Yes, the Han are absolutely oppressing both the Tibetans and the Uigher. In this old column here, I wrote about the Cultural Revolution-era techniques still being employed in Tibet and Xinjiang and the religious oppression that is a focal point of discontent.

There are other points of contention that add to the anger:

1) Han immigration: Han now represent the majority in both Xinjiang and Tibet. This is a recent development -- since 1950 -- and represents, for Tibetans and Uighers, the inevitable destruction of their identity and their way of life. There is nothing one can do when waves of "the Other" set up shop and start having kids. It is a peacful and highly effective tool of ethnic cleansing.

2) Han economic domination: Han Chinese dominate the government in both these regions. In both, the governor and/or spokesman is a native Tibetan or Uigher who is either completely brainwashed or completely venal. These "traitors" are in place to respond to crises such as these in the strongest manner, to give the rest of the nation and the world the idea that rioters and protesters are "inhuman", as opposed to demanding humanity.

Government domination by one ethnic group over another has another, more important effect: the unequal distribution of income and of justice. Funds reach Tibet and Xinjiang directly from Beijing and are then distributed "as needed" by the central authorities in Lhasa and Urumqi. No one needs to go into the corruption that hampers China's development as a modern nation. Now imagine that corruption in an area where domination and oppression of "troublesome" minorities is encouraged.

So in both Tibet and Xinjiang we have the following situation:

a leaderless, highly religious people ruled by a centralized, motivated non-religious people. The rulers have the economic and political power. The ruled find themselves with the choice: become Han in nature or die.

It is a soul crushing battle -- like between a boa and a small deer. Aimless dead-eyed young men watch their women choose stability and wealth over ethnicity and religion, watch their friends turn their backs on Uigher-ness in favor of a good job in some factory, watch their fathers retreat into the back room to pray and wait for death.

That is why they take to the streets, because making a Han face bleed, even for a moment and at great consequence, makes up for everything.

If you can feel the hate for the Han, then step back from this narrow view of life and feel the hatred and anguish of all the other peoples of the world that have faced this same dilemma and have already died, already forgotten their language, already retreated to the most remote outposts of what was once their home to slowly go through the motions.

When i traveled through Xinjiang I noticed that if the Han did not fear the Uigher as much, did not dread "splittists" as much as they do, there wouldn't be any.

It is the need to dominate that creates these conflicts, not the need to be Uigher, or be Black or be Palestinian.

The Coming Storm in Xinjiang

This post here (with accompanying IHT article) tells of the latest heavy-handed policies used by the Chinese government to win the hearts and minds of the Uighers in East Turkestan/Xinjiang Province.

Here is Reporters Without Borders with more bad news.

Has everyone forgotten or ignored the fact that during the Olympics the Uighers used tactics they have never used before (storming and bombing police stations, suicide bombers) at a higher frequency than ever before? The Uigher Islamists returned from Pakistan and Afghanistan with a renewed sense of vigor and the training to go with it. By crushing the populace under a repressive fist, China is playing into their hands (they being Al Qaeda-esqe radicals hoping to bring once chilled-out Uigher Muslims into their fold).

The US also played right into Al Qaeda's hands by attacking Iraq, curtailing freedoms at home and driving the economy into ruins by artificially keeping the natural course of capitalism (boom bust) at bay ...

Here and Here are two interesting stories on the China-India-Pakistan relationship. Neither of them take the Islamists very seriously ... are they still a threat?

Day 6 - The Calm Before the Storm

The second week is just around the corner and I felt the lull today.

Indeed, the preliminaries and qualifying rounds are almost over. The Chinese blitz on the gold medals will have its Dunkirk in a couple days when athletics begins and "their" sports come to a close.

On ticket sales, one noticed a slight rush to get handball ("its impossible to move handball"), field hockey and other national rather than international sports out of the inventory to make way for the wave of popular tickets coming up this weekend and next week.

Adding fuel to the fire is the rumor that 1.5 million more tickets will be released to the "public" in the next coming days to make up for the hard core scalping, VIP reluctance to use or pass out their tickets and the fakes. The IOC has complained that people are looking for tickets but the stands are not full.

Today the Chinese Baby Gymnastics Team beat out the American team for gold. People are reluctant to talk smack about China because their culture of looking away (or at the enhanced images) has infused the Games as much as the Games have taken over Beijing.

There is a bulge in the water hose.

America Strikes Back begins on Friday. How bout Phelps the Phish...he and his homies beat the world record today by 4 seconds.

The Uighers are making a huge gamble in Xinjiang. The Chinese are probably thinking to themselves that this spate of bombings is just a slight pinprick compared to the vicious crackdown that is on its way this Fall. But this is the most underreported story of the Olympics. Xinjiang has not gone off like this since the 1950s and the tactics, discipline and daring of the Uigher ... what shall we call them ... rebels? represent a dedication to a long term bloody war financed and supported by international ... ahem ... Fanatic Islamist Muslim terrorist fighter insurgents rebelling and maiming ...

They have to strike at Beijing or at least try, or all of this is meaningless.

Whoever thinks Iran is the next front doesn't realize that there is no front. Wasn't there some prophecy about the End of Days involving the "West" fighting off the hordes of the East led by the Antichrist. Does it matter to the Final Judge who actually fought and killed whom?

Another thing I have noticed: how the media report Russian aggression in Georgia and America's efforts in Iraq.

Day 5 - I Love China

What a difference a day makes. Today I went and watched the China-Spain B-Ball game and it was off the chains. The big difference between yesterday's tennis and today's hoops was that the Chinese know and love hoops.

The guys in front of me loved Clyde "the Glide" Drexler and the old man in back of me said his favorite player was Dr. J. It was awesome. They booed the Spaniards and did the wave for the entire halftime. When Pao dunked on Yao and swatted away Yi Jian Lian the crowd cheered ... they clapped when the Spaniards did some alley-oops or smooth moves. They love the sport baby.

As for the game, I won't comment too much. It was a great game and China had it, but Pao did his thang in the end and Yao fouled out ... When Yao went, no one stepped to the plate. I like Liu Wei, he played awesome and he has a great heart. And that kid for Spain Nunio, the lil Thief ... dude had like 10 steals, but i think only 6 counted cause of fouls.

My floor is covered in cash and tickets. Kinda reminds me of the old days ... I have always loved the petty hustle. Its street level down low capitalism and its raw and i'm lovin it. Today I hustled my way into some serious cheddar and it feels good. I met an old Cuban today and we haggled to a standstill. He told me that the Olympics are always like this: scalpers on the streets, trades and back alley deals between sponsors, embassies and athletes' families ... its the whole point of this thing. You know Spartans and Thebians were placing mad bets back in the day ... talkin bout who was gonna win then trading tickets for each others' favorites ...

Peep the Chinese gymnasts ... they are out of control. I read a story in the times that said, On paper, the other nations had no chance before they even rolled in ... due to the vast difference in difficulty that the Chinese take upon themselves.

The Uighers are killin pigs in Xinjiang left and right. More than 20 police dead in one week and as many wounded. They are using suicide bomber techniques and going toe to toe with the security like never before. It seems clear that the group that claimed responsibility for the Kunming Bombings in a video, the Islamic Party of East Turkestan, has learned some techniques from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq. So far all of the major violence has been far from Beijing, but there are still ten days left.

The security is blanket, but not necessarily tight. So anyone in Beijing reading this be careful and keep aware ...

I hear the Chinese used some special effects for the TV broadcast of the Opening Ceremonies, sounds like something they'd do, but it don't matter:

Check out these beautiful pictures.

the sad truth for tibetans and uighers

is that unless China falls apart, freedom will be a dream fulfilled only far from home.

we Westerners should consider what exactly drives our support for Tibetan/Uigher/Burmese freedom. The San Francisco authorities did their best to maintain free speech for all while respecting the integrity of the Olympic Flame. This show of strength by a free society is necessary and powerful when confronting oppression in a foreign country. Remember that the American dream began as a beacon in the dark.

the pot boils over

Let me give you a lil background on whats been going down.

Hotan is in southern Xinjiang, also known as East Turkestan, which is in the northwest of China. It borders Pakistan, Afghanistan several other stans and Russia. And Tibet. Southern Xinjiang is separated from northern Xinjiang by the Taklamaklan Desert -- the name means: once you roll in, you might not roll out. The people who live here are called Uighers and they are Turkish.

Oases such as Hotan and the more famous Kashgar in southern Xinjiang are fed by the springs of the Kunlun Mountains, Tibet's northern border. Without Tibetan water, southern Uigher springs would fail.

In Hotan, the Cultural Revolution is still alive. I have seen it with my own eyes. In the city square, a statue of Mao patronizingly holding hands with a much smaller, bearded and grateful Uigher dominates the scenery. Broadcast towers blare "Qing Ai De Mao Zhu Xi" which is a song from the 1960s which means: Darling Chairman Mao. Children -- I am not playing -- between the ages of 3-12 are lined up around the statue and preached to by police officers while the loudspeakers blare.

The Han run everything in Xinjiang from the city of Urumqi in northern Xinjiang. Both Xinjiang and Tibet are autonomous regions, which means they receive aid money from the central government, which is then distributed "autonomously" from the seat of power (Lhasa and Urumqi.) In order to gain the money, held by the Bank of China for example, you must have the right connections and a plan of some sort.

Just imagine the crony-isms that flutter in the halls of Urumqi's Bank of China outlet. Anyway, the money almost invariably goes to Han Chinese carpet baggers. They arrive from Wenzhou, Chengdu, Shantou etc. and make a run for the money. Uighers .. well ... they might be employed by a carpet bagger if they're lucky ... or not. Economically, anyone going to Xinjiang will see the power of the Han and the desperation of the Turk.

Concerning religion, the Party placed its headquarters within the walls of the holy mosque in Kashgar, burial site of East Turkestan's first Imam. Where once "bismAllah" was written on the walls, now "Patriotic Religious Center of the People's Republic of China" takes its place.

It is forbidden for anyone under 18 to visit a mosque or go to school to learn the Koran. But it is ok for 17 year old Uigher girls to scrap the scarf for high heels and a mini-skirt for the sake of a businessman's patronage.

Xinjiang broke away from the Qing Dynasty in the last 150 years, returning to the state it was before the Qing Dynasty: a loose federation of Turkish Sultanates. In the 1950s, the Party promised freedom if the Uighers would fight the Nationalists. When this promise failed to emerge, they headed to Beijing to fight for their rights. On the way back, a bitter taste in their mouths, the Uigher's plane "crashed" and since then the Party has had a stranglehold on the region.

Xinjiang's Taklamaklan Desert contains oil and gas.

The region was once ruled by the "4 Ma's" a group of men, all surname Ma, who ruled. They were slaughtered by the Party.

Blowback is a bitch, as the US knows well -- China is starting experience it themselves.