There are a lot of issues within that area..... - They are experiencing economic marginalisation - Social disadvantage - The region is very wealthy in minerals, but 90% of the population lives in poverty - Not allowed to practise their religion, nor teach their history in schools. - Face great penalties such as executions and life imprisonment for minor reasons. ....from the very little I know, I'm quite sure this isn't the same as the "al-queida" problem that we face. China isn't exactly open to providing any info so it's not that simple.
Well, if Ehsan wasn't banned, I'm sure he would like to point out that everyone else is at fault and that this has nothing to do with Islam.
You're blaming the Barbary Pirates on Islam.. Those guys were pirates which is why they were a threat and in fact the US was allied with other Muslims against them. They weren't Jihadist. I don't think Jihad then even had the same connotation as it does now.
In this case it doesn't and I would even say very few of the conflicts we are in now have to do with Islam. Consider that in the 60's and 70's the biggest ideological threat was Marxism. Some of the most violent groups, Shining Path, IRA, PLO, Red Army Brigades, FARC all considered themselves Marxist. Now why would Irish in Ulster have anything in common with a Palestinian in Lebanon or a Peruvian except for that they are fighting assymetric wars. By adopting a Marxism as a common ideology they saw a way to draw support and make it seem like rather than some regional conflict it was part of some greater Worldwide struggle. To a certain extent radical Islam is taking up that role so you have a lot of groups that were nominally Islamic now claiming to be Jihadists or Mujahadeen when culturally they are very different from the Arab Wahabists that we think of as radical Islam. Its a fact the Uighars are Muslim but long before Al Qaeda they were at odds with the PRC and there have been occasional conflicts between the Islamic people in China's west with the Chinese Han. I'm not an expert in CHinese history but I'm willing to bet that most of the conflicts have very little to do with religion but more to do with territory, trade and natural resources.
Who are they? If you are talking about minorities in China, please pinpoint which specific policy marginalised them economically Again, if you are talking about minorities, please explain how policies like lower college enrollment standard, non-subject to one-child policy, or other better governmental benefits, were putting them in social disadvantage. Please enlighten us how you get that 90% population in poverty "fact", and please DO use NON-CHINESE source. What history part weren't taught in school? Were you banned to practise your religion while you were there, or you have close friends or family member telling you that with "first hand" experience, who could talk to you freely, in spite of being locked up in prison at the same time? Please be specific with examples, from NON-CHINESE source. I love this part the most. You know little about this, and China isn't providing any info, BUT YOU ARE SURE that had nothing to do with terrorism. That's just great defense for cold-blooded killers, be it terrorism or not. As for those really having trouble to deside whether to "side with" terrorists or random cold blooded killers or Chinese people, please stay with the terrorists, they deserve you better.
UH...Yes they were part of Militant Islam In 1786, Thomas Jefferson, then the ambassador to France, and John Adams, then the ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the ambassador to Britain from Tripoli. The Americans asked Adja why his government was hostile to American ships, even though there had been no provocation. The ambassador's response was reported to the Continental Congress: It was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every mussulman who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise. He said, also, that the man who was the first to board a vessel had one slave over and above his share, and that when they sprang to the deck of an enemy's ship, every sailor held a dagger in each hand and a third in his mouth; which usually struck such terror into the foe that they cried out for quarter at once. [15] I believe Thomas Jefferson even said we would have to fight militant Islam again. DD
real_egal, I’ll be honest I just read an article about the Muslim Uighur people and these were some points that were pointed out. It was in a magazine I read a while back and unfortunately I can’t remember the name. I was just stating what I know about the conflict, it’s just when you see a report dealing with Muslim violence you find people immediately referring to them as terrorists without knowing anything about the circumstances. My post was not to justify the acts of the 2 guys who drove into those policemen, far from it; I was just posting to let people know there are problems in that region. I guess I could have been more clear in regards to that.... Again, I don’t know enough about the region to have made that assertion, so my bad. It appears you are quite passionate about this topic to have posted such a harsh response, maybe you can lead me to where I can find more information about the conflict. I’ve never heard of extreme religious fanatics from China (the article I read portrayed them quite differently), if you have, then I’d like to know more.....
Chris, I am not interested in getting into the debate about who's right and who's wrong here. But let me just point out that we are proud of this site because posters can often support the facts that they give with link when question arises. You shouldn't have say something as 'facts' if you have 'forgotten' the source and therefore you don't have a link. The reason that "it was in a magazine I read a while back and unfortunately I can’t remember the name" won't cut it because it is just too convenient.
Uigyurs aren't marginalized by Chinese policy. They are marginalized by their lack of education, training, experience and money. And since it takes at least one of the above to make money... But of course, certain sources will also spin it as "biased policy." Instead of doing a time series, comparing how Uigyurs are now as supposed to, say... twenty years ago, they want to do a cross sectional study and compare them to ethnic Hans, who always were more educated, better trained, experience and wealthier, and who also have connections and speak the same language with the rest of China.
I noted also that in that link it mentions how the pirates were occasionally used by European powers too in regard to internal conflicts and that they could be bought off. Hardly religious fanatics.
ChrisBosh, with Toronto as my second home, I like Bosh too. If I offended you, I feel bad and should have been more careful about my tone. But there are a few things I want to clarify. First, I never believed any terrorist representing any religion, no matter how some have claimed, or how some others wanted to paint them. Second, it's always too easy to blame being marginalized or mistreated etc. As minorities, we have to work extremely hard to come even close to what natives can achieve. There is culture barrier, and there is also lacking of networking, and certainly bias plays a role sometimes too. But that's not something we can demand, but rather change with own extra effort, and hope next generations can fare better. Not saying you are justifying the killing, but I feel it was at least disingenuous to put out blanket blame of Chinese policies without specifics. It came across as the notion to blame Chinese or Chinese government as a whole, for a dozen policemen being killed by 2 lunatics/fanatics/terrorists. I know some highly educated immigrants, who had to settle for labor works. I know Russian scientists working in the restaurants, I know Indian doctors driving cabs, and I know Chinese engineers working on the assembly line. But it's never OK to commit crime because you are facing hardships, not to mention murdering. I would be ashamed of myself, if I had tried to portrait that lunatic who beheaded another passenger in Canada, as a victimized/marginalized new immigrant. He may very well be, but it has nothing to do with the cold-blooded killing. As for my last sentence to suggest those people to "side with" murderers, it wasn't directed at you, if there is any doubt. It was directed at those "smart" comments about having trouble to decide which side to take.
I thought KKK was white supremacy, and had nothing to do with religion.... At least the Barbary Coast pirates were rooted in Islam...and specifically militant Islam. The problem is the Koran is confusing, not put together well and contradictory.... DD
