Associate Prof of
#China
Studies, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Tweets about
#Xinjiang
, Islam in China, my twins, and Wed Tibetan song translations #བོད)
Docs are a little harder to find these days since the CCP scrubbed social media, but a significant update has been added re: detentions. Now the collection >350 docs & 1000s of pages (unlike
@nytimes
, it's publicly available). (hosted on a new link)
"High quality" Uyghur labor virtually traded on Baidu, 9/25. Knows their alphabet, hard-working, will arrive in 7-15 days, paramilitary mgmt, led by the gov't and police. One asks: do you have any Kazakhs? No. All Uyghur. Another: Dietary restrictions? If so, I don't want them.
Outside "re-education" and detention facilities Uyghurs are subjected to government "homestays." Maybe (unfortunately) not headline worthy, but as I've been repeating for three years, this program is one of the most invasive. These faces shouldn't be forgotten either.
They say, "look Uyghur script, no language erasure" but can't read Uyghur. Here instead of translating the Chinese into Uyghur يەتتە يولتۇز the state simply uses Uyghur to sound out the Chinese pinyin. No meaning to شىگىشىن (pronounced shi gi shin - similar to to qī gè xīng)
Chinese media, CCP leaders, and apologists have been recycling the official number of mosques to convince you that Uyghurs and Kazakhs can freely express piety. This number is meaningless. Here are the facts (from Chinese sources):
Very discouraging... talented student from China wanted to enroll in my Islam in China course (new term begins today), but decided against it because they are planning to return for a job and didn't want the class to appear on their transcript, which may bring "trouble."
Chinese media, CCP leaders, and apologists have been recycling the official number of mosques to convince you that Uyghurs and Kazakhs can freely express piety. This number is meaningless. Here are the facts (from Chinese sources):
I’ll explain it. The picture is of Rahile Dawut a mentor and friend who was unjustly sentenced to life in prison for her scholarship on Uyghur pious practices. I think about her every day.
It appears that the Party-state is accelerating efforts to convert all schools in the XUAR to Mandarin only. That's not to say there may be a few Uyghur medium schools here and there, but the norm is now Chinese only (no Uyghur at all) from primary school on
What the Chinese gov't/and cadre social media sources tell us about the crisis occurring in Uyghur and Kazakh communities (all sources/photos can be found at
@ProjectXinjiang
) Thread 1a: Mass detentions
1/ If you travel to Uyghur communities unable to read and speak Uyghur and/or Chinese, you are essentially blind and deaf to the state's everyday violence. Let's begin in Kashgar with the "illegal religious activities" posted outside every religious site (take note of
#20
)
Names and ID numbers of some individuals in a 600 person group of Uyghur workers—brought to us on douyin by a middle man. available to work in any city
I'm just a "foreigner" who has traveled to Uyghur communities since 2002, was trained at 民族大学, taught a course at 新疆师范大学, wrote a book about the Uyghurs...(not self promotion, just context)...excuse me if I believe I may have something worthwhile to say about the topic
No one says foreigners can never understand China. But that doesn't give foreigners a licence to talk over China in whatever they see fit. Nor should it give them the right to ignore or gloss over contexts and histories, or to substitute speculation for lived experiences.
The evidence of state crimes against Uyghurs and Kazakhs is overwhelming. Pinning this link so everyone can easily share with those who cruelly deny "any evidence" of CCP violence targeting these ethno-national groups. (regularly updated).
@ChinaAmbBelgium
You think these Uyghurs are dancing in whatever factory they've been processed and shipped to, Mr. Cao? Or how about these families whose loved ones have been detained?
@KingJames
Please tell these Uyghurs—detained without due process or even criminal accusation—about your tough week...hey at least you know you’ll have a captive audience.
Actually, if you browse Chinese-language search engines, you will quickly discovery that, yes, indeed, Uyghur labor is being literally shopped online...in forums.
Great news folks! There's never been a better time to become a China analyst. Besides the mentoring opportunities offered by US intelligence gurus, and the plentiful amount of financial support from defence sectors, now you can gain instance fame simply by using Google.
Strange mix of emotions. Happy and fairy satisfied with my work. Extremely grateful for the team I collaborated with at
@HKUPress
. Saddened that I’ve lost contact with so many close friends who shared their stories and lives with me. This book is for you!
#Uyghurs
If you want to learn more about the CCP's recent decision to expand "bilingual education" in Inner Mongolia and why it has been met with resistance, there are few more trusted than Christopher Atwood, formerly of
@iuceus
My friend and colleague Rahile Dawut, an eminent anthropologist and a lovely human being, has been sentenced to life in prison.
The Chinese government says Rahile is guilty of "splittism." The truth, though, is that her only crime was being born a
#Uyghur
This "kindergarten" in Baghchi (Hotan) was built *specifically* for children who had both parents detained. Next time someone denies the crisis, show them this school.
@EnesKanter
I've been following this crisis since it began and have spent my entire professional life trying to understand Uyghur expressions of identity--the horrors are real and revealed by the CCP itself
What the Chinese gov't/and cadre social media sources tell us about the crisis occurring in Uyghur and Kazakh communities (all sources/photos can be found at
@ProjectXinjiang
) Thread 1a: Mass detentions
This brave man is named Brandon Brackins. He was a victim of a disgusting, heartbreaking act of racism in the small Ohio town where I was raised, Lisbon. Is there anything we can do to make this guy’s weekend?
#BLACK_LIVES_MATTER
I managed to secure cadre manuals for 访惠聚 teams, which I don't deserve to have sole access. Luckily, volunteers scanned all 1000* pages &
@ProjectXinjiang
was willing to share this invaluable source on a program that thrusts CCP policy into Uyghur homes
“I obtained this…photo from the hands of a Uyghur. What happened, who took it, when [it happened], or what the situation is, can’t be verified; it can only be said that it happened in Xinjiang”
From the China Islamic Association’s
#Uyghur
language official imam manual: imams must advise the people to avoid weeping loudly and shedding tears at the cemetery. Why this instruction exposes CCP hypocrisy on “extremism”. A thread.
And with no context, these gullible travelers wouldn't have noticed that the gate to Xi'an's "Muslim Quarter" was changed from "Revere Allah and Remember the Prophet" to "Prosperity for the Country, Rejuvenation for the Nation, and Happiness for the People"... but hey, details.
Really need people to get it into their heads that walking around as a tourist in a country does not give you any insight into how oppressed groups in that country live.
Fed up with the misinformation surrounding this iconic photo. here's a quick explainer (because it doesn't need a long one) the document is available at the
@ProjectXinjiang
@ChinaAmbUN
Hey
@ChinaAmbUN
, can you tell me what's going on in these photos? (for your convenience, I included the captions cadres included in their blogs)
Imagine a reality in which agents of the state come to your home, share your bed, and teach your children a language other than their mother tongue.
#Uyghurs
Well, I've obtained an "advance copy" of the Xinjiang article that is supposed to "debunk" the popular media study. I don't see how, in its current form, it can pass rigorous blind peer review. I will not share all my remarks/the article until the final version is out.
Elderly residents in Qaraqash Country (Hotan Prefecture) vow to "wear new styles and never again take the old road" in their sartorial choices ("穿新衣"不再"走老路"). Their t-shirt read: "I love the Chinese Nation" Notice, also, the clean-shaven faces and lack of headscarves
My new article "If you don't know, just learn," which explores CCP campaigns to radically transform
#Uyghur
domestic space, is now available online
@ERSjournal
@tandfonline
this video doesn't sit well with me. Before speaking Uyghur, the 26 yr-old bride says her parents can't attend bc of "face mask" 口罩 (maybe she means Covid, but her Putongua is good ). then, in Uyghur, she tells her parents she married, has no one left, thanks them for educ her
As the world-and rightfully so-uncomfortably watches the CCP parade Peng Shuai, we should recall that high profile intellectuals such as Rahile Dawut and countless other Uyghurs and Kazakhs have been disappeared without any updates on their well-beings
#Uyghurs
#原本没有同意
@WTA
Uyghur travelers are fined (the article later states 200 RMB & docked 6 pts) for stopping their cars to perform namaz--not because of safety but bc the act now is considered an "illegal religious activity". These 7 individuals were sent to a paichusuo for further investigation
Minors, college students, and anyone who is employed by the government cannot attend mosque. Period. It is stated explicitly outside many mosques (my photo from Pichan which says no minors can enter).
These cadre pics of village meetings for families of the detained changed me. When I saw them, I knew something unspeakable was happening in Uyghur communities, and I vowed to document every thread of evidence I could find
@UNHumanRights
Yes, official signage in the XUAR is bilingual. But, notice what's missing from the signs on these newly-opened, Uyghur-owned shops? (thanks again to the anonymous sender)
More video footage of mandatory rural classes (officially called 农牧民夜校, but this session seems to be during the day) in Ili. "Students" repeat "I'm Chinese. I love China."
Who knew that Xinjiang University alone produces PhDs in any number, let alone 356 last year
I'm in Tibet now and just discovered that Tibet University produces them too
A little knowledge goes a long way
Good on
@andymok
for pointing this out
Officials from inner China share experiences working at detentions centers in Chira County (Khotan). One reports detaining dozens to 100-200/day; another states that there are so many detainees, the smell is foul and unbearable. (i've concealed detention center director's name)
An elderly woman holds back tears. The caption: "The Qurban feast [Eid al-Adha] is approaching quickly. [We] carried out propaganda education [work] for relatives of individuals undergoing re-education"
Although yesterday’s vote is still somewhat symbolic, it still marks a huge step in the fight for human rights and is an occasion to celebrate Uyghurness in the many ways it is expressed
@chamath
If you simply bothered to look, you'd find that researchers who have devoted their lives to understanding the region's complexities have found overwhelming evidence of CCP abuse against Uyghurs
What the Chinese gov't/and cadre social media sources tell us about the crisis occurring in Uyghur and Kazakh communities (all sources/photos can be found at
@ProjectXinjiang
) Thread 1a: Mass detentions
What the Chinese gov't/and cadre social media sources tell us about the crisis occurring in Uyghur and Kazakh communities (all sources/photos can be found at
@ProjectXinjiang
) Thread 1a: Mass detentions
I'm currently driving through Xinjiang, China. This is Ürümqi at 10:00 PM on a Saturday night. A huge amount of people and families out and about, the street food area was crazy busy, and all restaurants were full..
Held in a "Villager Service Center" and attended by local cadres (as is now the policy), this Uyghur wedding is one of the oddest, most awkward I've ever witnessed.
Tibetan children can say/write how are you and I’m fine in Tibetan. Obviously, we can conclude that their mother language is not being systematically replaced by Chinese. Great test!!! I must be fluent in like 12 languages. These people are serious, which is seriously concerning
1/ Exposing a misinformation campaign brought to you by
@CGTNOfficial
. This simple tweet argues that Tibetan Buddhism has been revived under the CCP (the passive was adopted in another tweet, and the ambiguity is intentionally). What isn't being said in this tweet/”documentary”?
Six years ago a newly-minted PhD me was teaching a 3-week course about anthropology field methods to students at Xinjiang Normal University. How times flies and things change...
In the early days of documenting the Uyghur crisis, legal advice sites were unexpectedly useful sources for beginning to understand the shock and desperation mass detentions caused Uyghur families
Think about how absurd it would be if I (non French speaker) posted YouTube videos of my two recent and short trips to France and claimed I’m showing the “real” situation. Now, remember there are folks doing the same thing in the Uyghur homeland (3xs bigger than France)
Most disgusting thing I've ever read about me on Twitter (and I get a lot of mud slung my way). Someone doubting my concern for Uyghurs. Pan, I still have friends, mentors, and family of contacts locked up.
@GroseTimothy
Then don't complain about a long thread. Don't simply blurt out nasty words to show your superiority & feigned moral outrage as if you were really concerned about the human rights of Uyghurs and Kazakhs. Good luck with your moral crusade!
October 2020 Maralbeshi County (Kashgar) "My mother is China, We Love Mother, We Love China 我妈妈是中国,我们爱妈妈,我们爱中国" (the tourist who recorded the video as part of a tour responds, “awesome 好棒”)
At this point, if you still have doubts about the Uyghur/Kazakh crisis, there is little any Chinese government sources, scholarship, & reports can do to change your mind. But if you're genuinely interested in deepening your understanding of this complex, dire situation start here
THREAD: Following our cover this week on Uyghurs, I wanted to highlight scholars, journalists, activists and exiles who have helped expose and explain what is happening in Xinjiang, from the camps to population control to the diminishing of Uyghur identity
This is a head-scratcher: a Uyghur celebrity who went to school in Shanghai and spends much of her time outside the XUAR disproves state violence against all Uyghurs? Um, here is a list of Uyghur celebrities, artists, and scholars who have been detained...
For those of you who choose to spend your Friday evening fighting trolls, here: same event as the infamous re-education center photo shot from the back where the banner clearly says "Lop education training center" (i.e. re-education center)
No linguistic erasure on Chinese bank notes? Let's explore! Indigenous words for China in Uyghur and Tibetan (خىتاي and རྒྱ་ནག་་) are replaced with pinyin-ized with جۇڭگو and ་ཀྲུང་གོ or pronounced Zhongguo)...
#seeingisntreading
Remember when the CCP publicly denied the existence of "re-education" anythings while in
#Xinjiang
they operated facilities they call 集中教育转化中心, took photos of them and shared them on government-run social media?
Rare glimpse inside a village night class in Yeken. These night classes are common (and mandatory) throughout rural Uyghur and Kazakh communities. I believe the cadre is leading the "class" in the song "My fatherland" 我的祖国
Uyghurs are also changing their names and the names of their children because they are too "religious" (even variants of the Prophet. Pictures from Xinjiang Daily Online.
More pictures from this brave Uyghur who sent dozens to me: a mosque being destroyed (with coordinates). Satellite imagery seems to confirm. 2021 the mosque is still standing; appears to have been leveled sometime in 2022
Officials have insisted that "re-education" centers provide detainees with essential vocational skills that will improve their employability, yet here they are performing what is virtually a drill inspection 汇报演出 dressed in Confucian robes and moving to choreographed dances
At the height of detentions, various locales in Guma County held almost daily mass lectures over 10 days for family members of detainees. In total, over 23,000 people attended. The collective despair is heartbreaking.
In Xinjiang, especially if you are Uyghur, it isn’t a matter of IF you endure incarceration but rather what form you suffer: imprisonment, “re-education,” house arrest, home stays, 24-hour surveillance/security checkpoints and constant fear/uncertainty
Summer 2017, I was to meet my friend in Urumchi but he never answered my texts. Weeks later, he posted a pic of himself-he looked unwell. Thankfully he was able to return to the US where he shared his story (he's permitted me to reveal that I'm the author)
The correct Uyghur toponym should probably be Shorchuq شورچۇق, which appears to have a long history. Therefore, in reality, this example demonstrates linguistic erasure and terriotrial desettlement.
Reminding you that Xinjiang Year Zero is the most comprehensive and carefully documented undergraduate-level text on the crisis in Xinjiang...What's better? Open Access
@ANU_Press
! Praise to the editors
@dtbyler
,
@FangYiren
,
@NDLoubere
& the contributors
Any book review editors want my review praising
@TMJCliff
's Oil & Water? A
@BrillPublishing
journal refused to publish it because I would not agree to delete my remarks on the mass detention of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the region. DM me.
I don't need to prove myself to anyone, but I want to show others the disgusting, inhumane depths people are willing to go to try to "debunk" the Uyghur crisis? Making up fake dates on pictures I've posted of missing scholar Rahile Dawut. The photo was taken June 10, 2014.
Impressions of Kashgar and Atush from a Han tourist: security checks are numerous, but [according to the guide] there are no more theives, women can’t veil, men can’t grow long beard, and kindergarteners only study Chinese, and mixed Han-Uyghur marriages are 50000 RMB
one of the dumbest Uyghur denialism arguments out there. bc a govt has never used a representation of indigenous people on it currency while it was actively oppressing them (the "buffalo" coin was minted from 1910s-30s when Native American boarding schools were at their height)
Humbled these brave, young Uyghurs trusted me with their stories and let me be part of their everyday lives; honored that
@HKUPress
found the project worthy of publication
(1) "Fanghuiju" manuals instruct work teams to befriend Uyghur büwi (female religious specialists who prepare corpse for burial) bc they have intimate knowledge of the community; these ceremonies become forbidden for govt/family (2); then büwi are targeted for internment (3)
I’m always careful about sharing videos of those I don’t know the origins, but I just spoke to someone in Kashgar who witnessed the rehearsal, so this one seems legit.
Chinese government asked people in Kashgar to prepare dance for the Eid tomorrow. Yes we dance Sama in front of the mosque every Eid, but we never rehearsal it one day earlier, we don't dance thatway, because we all know how to dance. This style is just for the show, not natural.