A cultural crossroad

It can almost be called Al-Qaeda’s Tibet…China’s western Xinjiang Province, home to the ethnic Uighurs, a mainly Muslim minority in China. Chinese repression of the Uighur people has given extremist groups an opportunity to exploit this suffering, and turn it into a political tool. The East Turkestan Islamic Movement has carried out at least three violent attacks against Chinese police in security forces during the month of the Olympics, killing dozens of people, primarily ETIM fighters and policemen.


Seeing as I have never had the chance to come face-to-face with an ethnic Uighur separatist, I am not sure if liberating the Muslim people of western China is truly something they care about (terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda in Iraq or the Taliban routinely put this notion to rest by blowing up innocent Muslims, often dozens at a time, almost every day). Regardless, the attacks that have occurred during the Olympic Games have only provoked the Chinese regime into forcing its ironclad grip even tighter on the Uighur community who would like to have the chance to exercise their religion, language, and culture freely.

Below is a very interesting article I found on Al-Jazeera about this tense situation…note the map of the province above, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan. It’s alleged that some ETIM fighters are receiving training in the mountainous tribal areas of these countries.

Xinjiang tense in wake of attacks

By Tony Cheng, in Kashgar

With the eyes of the world on the Olympics in Beijing, a lockdown is in force across China's western Xinjiang province.

After three separate attacks in recent days, the Chinese government is unsure who they can trust in this restless region, more than 2,000 km from the Chinese capital.

At a checkpoint outside the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar, a short distance from the site of Tuesday's fatal stabbing of three security officials, we found police relaxed, but no one was allowed to pass unchecked.

Heading back into the city, security was much tighter, with armed police forcing passengers to disembark from buses and cars to have their ID cards electronically checked.

Foreigners had their passports photocopied and their details entered into a computer.

A total of 31 people have been killed in just 2 weeks in the deadliest upsurge in violence seen in Xinjiang for many years.

Uighur exile groups based in Germany say the government has detained dozens of innocent Muslims in the wake of the attacks.

On August 4, Kashgar, close to the frontier with Afghanistan, saw the deadliest of the recent attacks when two men drove a truck directly into a group of jogging border police outside a small boarding house.

They threw what the authorities described as grenades, and continued the attack with knives.

By the time the attackers were overpowered, 16 policemen lay dead.

Reports in Chinese state media said police later found papers detailing a plan for "holy war" in the attackers' belongings.

It was a severe and bloody assault but with apparently very few witnesses - the owner of a nearby boarding house said she saw nothing.

When I asked a local shopkeeper how 16 people had died without his seeing any thing, he told me to go and ask the government.

The government itself has said little, despite claiming several months ago that there was a very real possibility of an attack from Muslim Xinjiang-based fighters targeting the Olympics.

But the simplicity of the weapons used - trucks, homemade bombs and knives - does not suggest the operations of a global "terrorist" network.

And the nature of the attacks appears more spontaneous than highly planned.

Kashgar's famous bazaar is still bustling with life, but in the wake of the recent violence everyone there seems a little more wary.

What?????

Last week, I was about to get a Coca-Cola when I noticed the company is "proud partners" with Beijing 2008. After seeing that, I had to put it down (I like Pepsi better anyway). Below is an example of precisely why I am so angry with the Chinese and what they have been doing.

Now is this a fair demand? China is insisting the Dalai Lama renounce violence and Tibetan Independence. Am I reading this correctly?

BEIJING (AP) — China insists the Dalai Lama prove he doesn't support Tibetan independence or disruption of the Beijing Olympics, telling two envoys for the spiritual leader that such "positive actions" are needed before further talks, a state news agency said Thursday.

The demand made by a top Chinese official in two days of meetings indicated no change in Beijing's position toward the Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has long spoken against violence but is frequently demonized by China's Communist leadership.

Beijing has accused him and his supporters of fomenting anti-government protests that rocked Tibet and other Tibetan-inhabited areas of China in March.

The charge has been repeatedly rejected by the Tibetan government-in-exile, which said Thursday that the Dalai Lama had been "tireless" in expressing his commitment to nonviolence.

"He has also gone out of his way to publicly announce his support for the Beijing Olympics. He has even said that he would like to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics to show his support," said Thupten Samphal, a spokesman for the exile government in Dharmsala, India.

Asking the Dalai Lama to "renounce violence" is like asking Al-Qaeda to "renounce peace". If anyone should be renouncing violence, it is the Chinese...through all they have been doing to his people, the Dalai Lama is still looking for dialogue with China, yet they actually have the nerve to accuse him of fomenting the violence that has plagued Tibet in recent months.

Some thoughts on Tibet

Last weekend, I visited Chinatown in San Francisco and had the opportunity to observe a man standing on top of a box and shouting out slogans against the Dalai Lama to a small crowd of onlookers. The first thought to cross my mind was how could anyone hate someone like the Dalai Lama, a peaceful man who has done nothing more than call for a peaceful resolution to the Chinese occupation of his homeland.

Since I saw that rather disturbing display, I have been thinking a lot about this issue and I realized one reason why China will probably never voluntarily give up Tibet. For one thing, Tibet is not the only region of China that is seeking autonomy. The Chinese are more than likely fearful that an autonomous Tibet will inspire Taiwan to do the same. Much like Tibet, Taiwan has been trying for years to break free from Chinese rule, all to no avail. Then there are the Muslim regions, such as Xinjiang Province in the far west. Recently, the Chinese have pointed to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, an Al-Qaeda-linked extremist network, as a potential threat in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. So basically, if one province falls out of Chinese control, many more could follow. In the end, China could face the same fate as the Soviet Union.

Now, this is merely an attempt to try and understand why the Chinese continue the brutal siege of such a beautiful region. I do not think it would be a good thing if China disintegrated and millions of people were threatened with an economic crash and other problems that would emerge from such a scenario, but that would not be an issue if Mao Zedong and the communists decided against invading Tibet and conquering a people who only know peace in the first place. Is it really that much to ask for the Chinese to at least start a peaceful resolution by meeting with the Dalai Lama and treating him as a legitimate leader? Would it be so much to ask if he could return to his homeland without fear of retribution? These are steps that can be taken one at a time, but the Chinese have no desire to do so.

As the Dalai Lama's envoys are set to meet with Chinese officials, Chinese state media is continuing its criticism of him. With the upcoming Olympics, one might think that the Chinese would be doing everything they can to peacefully resolve this issue. The Dalai Lama is a man of peace...it is not as though China is facing a militant leader threatening to employ suicide bombers against civilian targets, as Israel and Sri Lanka are facing with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal or LTTE (Tamil Tigers) leader Vellupillai Prabakharan.

When the Opening Ceremonies for the 2008 Olympics begin, viewers the world over should remember that the Chinese security forces strolling through the crowds of spectators are not only busy keeping the event safe, but are also in the streets of Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, holding down their ironclad grip on the city while attacking demonstrators who dare to defy them. With every Tibetan activist who is beaten, jailed, or killed, China is only reminding us that instead of a "world power", it is nothing more than another savage and evil regime engaging in acts of brutal violence against innocent people.

Reuniting the United Nations

Saturday's UNA meeting in Berkeley brought up a lot of debate and discussion over the issue of human rights here in the United States and around the world. Many issues were brought up--including the use of child soldiers in Africa and the growing number of executions carried out by China and Iran. But the meeting also touched on the issue of human rights here in the United States regarding detainees captured in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. One of the guest speakers featured at the event was an American ACLU attorney who talked about the apparent use of torture, including water boarding, and how it hurts the image of the United States abroad. His message was that if the U.S. violates international law, then other countries could follow suit as well. At the end of the event, I had the opportunity to voice my opinion.

United World Analysis:

While I am largely opposed the idea of the U.S. government using torture or harsh methods of interrogation, I am just as opposed to the usual "blame America first" rhetoric. Since 9/11, the world has faced a stateless enemy that works to achieve its goals by killing innocent people--civilians, westerners, and Muslims alike. Last month, the UN headquarters was targeted by Al-Qaeda in the Algerian capital, Algiers, so its pretty clear that these people are perfectly willing to attack anyone--whether it be the UN, the US, or Muslims who fail to submit to their extreme ideology. If the world can put aside current political disputes, then its very likely we can all move forward together in the fight against global terrorism. Exploiting the mistakes of the USA among the international community is counter-productive, and there's little doubt that terrorists enjoy seeing the US and the members of the UN tear themselves apart from the inside out.

Nevertheless, the other superpowers in the world have an obligation to uphold their commitments to the Declaration of Human Rights. Look at what is happening in Russia right now, where political opponents have been systemically assassinated and democracy has fallen into its death throws.

This is only the most recent example:

From Reuters:

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov was barred on Sunday from running for president in a March election, a move he said was taken to block any real challenge to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's chosen candidate.

The Election Commission's decision seemed certain to stir fresh criticism by Kremlin opponents that the March 2 vote has been slanted in favor of Dmitry Medvedev, 42, the first deputy prime minister who Putin has backed to be his successor.

Kasyanov, who had little chance of winning the election, said Russia under Putin was now on "the slippery slope towards thievish totalitarianism" and urged a boycott of the vote.

Is it really fair to single out the United States while Vladimir Putin and his KGB buddies continue their stranglehold on Russia? I recently read a book entitled Blowing Up Russia by Alexander Litvenenko, a harsh critic of the current regime in Russia. Unfortunately, Mr. Litvenenko was killed in London before the book was released at the beginning of 2007. Other prominent critics have met a similar fate as well.

The Chinese aren't much better either, with their continued support for the blood-soaked regime of General Omar Al-Bashir in Sudan. Over the last few years, the Chinese have routinely blocked the UN security council from imposing sanctions on Sudan because of their growing economic investment in the country. It may be fitting to entitle the 2008 Beijing Olympics "The Genocide Olympics". I think its safe to say that China's support for a government that has allowed for the unrelenting slaughter in Darfur to continue is one of the worst human rights abuses in recent years. In addition, Russia and China continue to protect Iran from UN action as well.

So in the end, while it can be said that the United States has set a bad example for the international community through its sometimes controversial treatment of detainees, the other countries who wield tremendous influence in the UN need to be held accountable as well. There is no excuse for the UN to scold the USA while Vladimir Putin tracks down and kills his political opponents in Russia and China continues to support the world's most brutal dictator. The key is for everyone to work together for a more affective United Nations, which was the point I made when I had my opportunity to speak at the end of the event.