Q & AAsia-Pacific

Is China Really Facing a Terrorist Threat From Uighurs in Xinjiang?

Chinese paramilitary force vehicles line up during an oath-taking ceremony, Xinjiang, China, February 17, 2017 (Imaginechina via AP Images).
Chinese paramilitary force vehicles line up during an oath-taking ceremony, Xinjiang, China, February 17, 2017 (Imaginechina via AP Images).
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The Chinese government has long framed its treatment of the ethnic Uighur population in the region of Xinjiang as part of a counterterrorism campaign, even more so recently. In February, the so-called Islamic State released a video purporting to show militants from Xinjiang vowing to bring the fight to China. On April 1, the government began enforcing anti-extremism measures including rules against veils and “abnormal” beards. In an email interview, Sean R. Roberts, a cultural anthropologist at George Washington University currently working on a book about Uighur militancy, discusses how violence in Xinjiang has evolved and whether it can accurately […]

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