Fernando Munoz Bernal summarizes some essential information and perspectives on Xinjiang that must be understood. His video is due to the rumors about the region that are spread in the West. Here are 12 facts about Xinjiang that the West could learn from.
Fernando explains:
- Xinjiang is about a third the size of Europe. It borders several troubled countries and those borders are complicated to control.
- The population is 20 million or more, with 12 million being Uyghur. Several other minorities, including China’s majority, the Han, also make up a sizable chunk of the population in Xinjiang.
- Not all Uyghurs are Muslims, and not all Muslims are Uyghurs. Several other minorities are Muslim as well.
- Not all Uyghur are moderate. Some of those are extremists.
- Those extremists had hope of establishing a caliphate here in Xinjiang. They used violence against all of those not following their extreme interpretations of Islam. Their violence included moderate Muslims and even imams.
- Thousands of people died during terrorist and jihadist attacks over many years in China and Xinjiang as well.
- To put a stop to this madness, China implemented measures to catch extremists. Whatever nuanced discussion needs to be had regarding those measures, it is vital to remember that most Muslim leaders around the world who have visited Xinjiang understand the issue and support the approach. The overall assessment is that it has worked. There’s been no terrorism since 2017.
- China kept the issue of terrorism in Xinjiang relatively quiet for the most part. To maintain harmony and prevent hate against all Muslims or all Uyghurs or whatever, attacks and violence were given as little coverage as possible in the media in the country.
That meant that the world never heard of the issues. They only heard of the heavy measures that came to control the problem. So when China opened up about the history of violence at the hands of these extremists, the world didn’t believe it. - Terrorists have families and haters and mentors and abettors. Some of those people left the country and became quite vocal against the measures once they were abroad. Please ask any of those witnesses how they left China.
Most of them left with passports and visas to their final destinations, and today, many receive funds from the US or other governments. That’s an exciting thing to consider. - Some populations at risk of indoctrination received training. Indoctrination is much easier on idle, poor, or unemployed populations. So, along with some patriot teachings and even Mandarin teachings, they received vocational skill training and were helped to find jobs in and around Xinjiang.
- It all worked pretty well. Fernando met a few locals who told him off-camera how they felt about life here and sanctions.
”Interestingly, they say that it makes them feel integrated into China since the rest of the country makes it a point to buy things from Xinjiang and visit them to support them. There are millions of tourists each year.” - There are still loads to do. It is a very harsh environment. Distances are enormous, and challenges are massive. But Xinjiang sits at the center of the land portion of Eurasia commerce that can replace Mairitine roots controlled by other countries. There is a willingness to develop Xinjiang like other provinces. Plus, there’s oil.
”A final thought. Were there abuses during the crackdown on extremism, separatism, and terrorism? That’s a possibility. I’m not gonna deny that possibility. But officers did die fighting these criminals. We’re all human. That requires an investigation. But here’s the thing. How do we know that they have not already taken place?”
”Think for a moment. Suppose China wasn’t public with the terrorist attacks that killed innocent civilians and police officers. What makes you think they would go public with investigations of abuse within their force?
That we haven’t heard of it does not mean it hasn’t happened. To suggest that it hasn’t means that you claim there is no rule of law in China, and that’s a commonality in China haters. Keep that in mind.
One thing is obvious, though. There was, and there isn’t, any evidence of systemic abuse by authorities during that time. I hope this video gives you a more nuanced understanding of what Xinjiang went through through those years and what lies ahead for the region and its people.”
Please join Fernando on his adventure as he explains what it all entails. After his video, feel free to leave your sensible questions and comments on his YouTube channel.
The text is extracted from the video and slightly edited by NewsVoice.