Nationalism and Islamic Identity in Xinjiang

Abstract

The Uyghurs are a Muslim population in the Xinjiang province in Northwest China. They have been agitating for independence almost since the formation of the PRC. Like many minorities in Central Asia, the Uyghurs have a long history which includes much violence. Significantly, the Uyghur have not embraced Islamic fundamentalism in any meaningful way. Though there are limited examples of fundamentalism in Xinjiang, the population as a whole does not support it even though their goals of independence are the same. The reason the Uyghurs have not embraced fundamentalism is because their sense of nationalism is stronger, relatively speaking, than their Islamic identity. Uyghurs nationalism as well as their unique Islamic identity has been forged by a millennium of struggle, self-determination, oppressive rule, and external influence among many other factors. These forces have culminated in a modern Uyghur identity which values self-determination above all else.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2007
Accession Number
ADA475738

Entities

People

  • Kyle C. Welshans

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Central Asia
  • Economic Systems
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Human Population
  • Law
  • Man Borne Improvised Explosive Devices
  • Minority Groups
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • Societies
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • Ussr
  • Violence

Readers

  • Asian Economic Studies
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union