Who are the Uyghurs?

The Uyghurs are an ethnic minority who primarily live in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwest China. The Uyghur people, most of whom are Sunni Muslims, speak their own language also called Uyghur, which is similar to other Turkic languages such as Kazakh and see their culture as being close to that of Central Asian countries.

What is the difference between Uyghur and Uighur?

While both terms refer to the same group of people, the terms differ in how they have been used historically. Western historical texts have used the spelling “Uighur” for centuries, whereas more recently the “Uyghur” spelling has become more common and is closer to the native pronunciation of the word: OOEE’-ger. Both however are acceptable and widely used spellings.

Where do Uyghurs live?

12 million of the estimated 13 million Uyghurs in the world live in East Turkestan (Called “Xinjiang” by the Chinese), with most residing in the autonomous region’s capital city of Ürümqi. Smaller, dispersed Uyghur communities can be found in Turkic countries including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey, with other notable groups living in European countries as well. Only between eight and fifteen thousand ethnic Uyghurs reside in the United States.

What religion are Uyghurs?

Most Uyghurs practice a moderate form of Sunni Islam. The people’s history with Islam dates back to the 10th century, with most Uyghurs identifying as Muslim by the 16th century.

How do you pronounce Uyghur?

There are multiple acceptable pronunciations of Uyghur but “WEE-gr” is one of the most common in Anglophone media and Western countries. But the more accurate way of pronouncing Uyghur and the way most similar to the native pronunciation is “OOEE’-gr”.

What is the Uyghur genocide?

The Uyghur genocide entails the CCP’s persecution of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang that began in 2014. Since then, nearly 2 million Uyghurs have been detained in internment camps. In Xinjiang, Uyghurs have been subject to forced labor and the suppression of habitual religious practices. In addition, governments worldwide, including the Biden and former Trump administration, have cited the CCP’s forced sterilization and abortions on Uyghur women as meeting the 1948 Genocide Convention’s definition of a genocide.

Where is Xinjiang?

Xinjiang, officially known was the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Zone, is a vast region of western China. As shown on the accompanying map, Xinjiang makes up the westernmost parts of China and borders countries such as Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

What is the difference between Xinjiang and East Turkestan?

Xinjiang is an anglicized version of the Han Chinese name given to the region after it was conquered by the Qing dynasty in the second half of the 19th century. It actually means “New Dominion'' and is generally seen as a colonial term among Uyghurs. East Turkestan derives its name from Turkestan or “land of the Turks”, a term that was first recorded in the 5th century C.E. The full name East Turkestan was used to refer to Turkic lands east of the Tengri Tagh ("Tian Shan") mountain range. The term appears on numerous Western maps from the 1840s to early 20th century. The short-lived independent state, the East Turkestan Republic (ETR), founded in 1933 and centered around Kashgar also used the name. While the Chinese military eventually destroyed both the first and second East Turkestan Republics, the majority of Uyghurs today still consider the region’s true name to be East Turkestan.

What is the CCP?

Founded in 1921, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the governing political party of the People’s Republic of China. As the name suggests, the party’s ideology has been centered around Communism, with the party adopting various schools of thought over the decades, beginning with Marxism–Leninism and evolving into various theories held by leaders over the years, such as Mao Zedong and now Xi Jinping. Foreign critics have labeled the CCP as not having a formal ideology, instead arguing the party is pragmatic and concerned about preserving its own power above all. The party’s governance is responsible for the Uyghur genocide happening in Xinjiang.