The constant fear
The Uighurs are a Sunni Muslim ethnic group living in the autonomous province of Xinjiang (also called East Turkestan), located in northwestern China. Turkish-speaking, the Uighur population, a minority in China but the majority in Xinjiang, is also present in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Turkey. As their people were persecuted in China, many Uighurs found refuge abroad, especially in Canada.
This is the case of Erkin Kurban, a member of the Uyghur community in Montreal, whose number is a few hundred individuals. Arriving in Canada in 1999, this septuagenarian belongs to the first generation of Uighurs who settled in the country. According to available data, there are a thousand Uighurs in Canada.
With the traditional hat pressed over his head, Mr. Kurban has a lot to say.
“The situation there is so critical that it is hard to believe that this kind of thing is still possible in the 21st century,” he said, before noting that China is behaving with the Uighurs with physical and psychological brutality that cannot be explained. “I don't even have the words to describe what's going on there,” he said, looking disheartened.
Thousands of kilometers from Xinjiang, the situation in this autonomous region of China is giving Uighurs in Canada sleepless nights. “We have family there; it's hard to be here knowing that our people are being persecuted,” says Pakyar (fictional name), who interprets for Mr. Kurban. While the “lucky ones” manage to ask family members about the situation, most Uighurs in Canada do not dare to ask their family members about what is happening in Xinjiang due to increased surveillance by Beijing.
But why such persecution?
The reasons seem to be multiple, but the most important are geopolitical and economic, according to Mr. Kurban. “Our region is vast and geographically well located. It is very rich in natural resources. It contains oil, natural gas, strategic minerals — in short, everything that China needs to fuel its economy and strengthen its power,” he explains. Strategic, the autonomous province of Xinjiang is undeniably strategic, which borders Russia, India, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
For several years, China has undertaken to bridge its development gap by making this territory the bridgehead of its commercial activities with Central Asia. Many foreign and Chinese multinationals have settled there. In the eyes of Mr. Kurban, this explains Beijing's behavior towards the Uighurs, who are demanding their autonomy.
“China cannot and will not let us ensure our own destiny,” he said. We have become an obstacle to its economic growth.” An opinion shared by several experts, especially since Xinjiang occupies a central place in the pharaonic “New Silk Roads” project, launched by the Chinese President, Xi Jinping. A student at McGill University, Zapaer Alip coordinates International Support for Uighurs, a cultural association that has evolved into an organization defending the rights of Uighurs. According to him, many Uighur families in Canada hardly communicate with their families back in Xinjiang.
“All communication is monitored, and the people there avoid saying things that could put them in an awkward situation,” he explains. This is in fact his case, he admitted to us over coffee. Zapaer is happy to see that the international and Canadian press are talking about the situation of the Uighurs more and more frequently. “Before, Canadians had a vague idea of what was going on, they did not understand the magnitude of the situation,” he said. Thanks to detailed reports from international NGOs and the New York Times, Canadians now understand.”
According to him, this is a sign of hope, even if China does not intend to give in soon to the international pressure, which is becoming more and more insistent. For Mr. Kurban, “the fight must continue.” He says he is proud to see his offspring get involved in the cause. And about the pressures exerted by the Chinese government against Uighurs in Canada denouncing the situation in Xinjiang province, he said: “I have suffered so much that I have forgotten how to be afraid.” Ironically, Erkin, his first name, means “free” in the Uighur language...
Between indoctrination, repression and resistance
In Xinjiang, the independence aims of the Uighurs have clashed for decades with the repressive policies of the Chinese government. In its report Eradicate Ideological Viruses: A Wave of Repression in China against Muslims in Xinjiang, the American NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) concludes that the Chinese government is not respecting the most basic rights of the Uighurs. “Across the region, the 13 million strong Turkish Muslim population is subject to forced political indoctrination, collective punishment, religious restrictions and surveillance by mass, in violation of international human rights law,” can we especially read there.
For its part, China justifies its policy by the fight against Islamic terrorism and the desire to deradicalize the Uighurs. The former Canadian ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques, believes that this argument is not unfounded. “There have been several attacks in China committed by Uighurs, and we can understand the measures that have been taken to stop these acts,” he said. While Mr. Saint-Jacques understands the approach taken by Beijing a few years ago, he nevertheless refuses to endorse the current policy of the Chinese government with regard to the Uighurs.
“What is happening there does not make sense and cannot be justified by the desire to fight terrorism,” he said. Because, in addition to arbitrary detentions, torture and ill-treatment, cases of forced sterilization of women are reported, apparently in order to demographically reduce the Uighur population.
Canada's delicate position
- Kurban and Alip expect a lot from the Government of Canada. They agree that Ottawa must act to end the marginalization of Uighurs in China. The organization International Support for Uighurs proposed a 12-point political-humanitarian plan “to support marginalized Uyghur populations.” “Canada needs to send a clear and firm message to China on this issue,” says Mr. Kurban, although he does not seem to have much illusion in this regard. According to him, “China does not respect Canada.” As proof of this, he refers to a situation he has experienced. “When I went to China in 2006, I was summoned by the security services. When I presented my Canadian passport to them, they threw it to the ground and told me that they didn't care. As if to tell me that Canada is worthless.” Pakyar, our interpreter, for his part, believes that Canada must do something, because, he argues, several minority groups are marginalized in China. “There, all minorities are persecuted, whether they are Uighurs, Christians, Jews, etc. This is why we must urge Canada and other democratic countries to act. To be silent is to send the wrong signal to the Chinese government.”
In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, 68 MPs and Senators called on Ottawa to impose sanctions on China. Contacted on this subject, the Department of Global Affairs Canada simply told La Converse that Canada “publicly and systematically called on the Chinese government to end the repression in Xinjiang.”
On the United States side, the House of Representatives recently passed a bill calling for sanctions against China in response to the internment of Uighurs. Does Canada have the means to impose sanctions on China? For Mr. Saint-Jacques, this is easier said than done. “Canada has not made severe criticisms of China,” he notes. The problem is that all countries know that if they criticize China very harshly, they will face economic reprisals.”
According to him, “China is aware that most major countries need it so much for trade that no one dares to take action or impose too severe sanctions against it.”
For Mr. Kurban and Mr. Alip, this does not prevent Ottawa from making it clear to Beijing that it should correct its behavior towards the Uighurs. Mr. Saint-Jacques believes that Canada should adopt a multilateral approach: “Canada should work with other allies to develop a common position on China, especially in light of what we now know about what is happening in Xinjiang.” An approach shared by Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi, who served on the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs' subcommittee on international human rights and of the international development of the House of Commons.
Mr. Zuberi, who says he is very concerned about the situation of the Uighurs — which he considers “unbearable” — believes that Canada is not powerful enough to stand up to China alone. “We must join forces with other powers to bring China to its senses [...] What the Chinese government is doing must stop,” he said.
The silent solidarity of other Chinese
The Uighurs of Montreal are not alone in their fight. According to Mr. Alip and Pakyar, many Chinese people are committed to their cause, especially among the younger generation. “What do you think of the situation of the Uighurs in Xinjiang? ” we asked a dozen members of the Chinese diaspora in Montreal's Chinatown. Most preferred not to respond; only two people subtly made it clear to us that they did not support her.
Silent solidarity to avoid incurring the wrath of Beijing, which monitors not only what is happening within its borders, but also what happens beyond. This is particularly the case of Min (fictional name), a 26-year-old Chinese girl who is studying at McGill University. Whispering, she admitted to supporting the cause of the Uighurs.
“I support them morally, but I am afraid to speak out on social media,” she told us during an interview that she refused to allow us to record, for fear of leaving traces of her testimony. “I have to be careful, my grandparents are still in China. My grandfather fought against Japan during the war. I don't want them to be harmed.
I know that, if I speak publicly, I can easily be found.” Like most Chinese people in the diaspora, Min is aware of the consequences that her position could have in a China where the authorities are allergic to criticism.
“My government has so much online police and information about people,” explains the student. It would not be difficult for him to find me and attack my family. My parents live in Vancouver. We communicate on WeChat, and I'm afraid to talk to them about it. I know that the Chinese government is watching the conversations. We never talk negatively about China when we communicate on the Internet.”
At the time of writing, the Consulate General of China in Montreal had still not responded to our interview requests.
To go further...
A demonstration is organized this Sunday to protest against the persecution of which Uighurs are victims in Xinjiang.
Eradicate Ideological Viruses: Wave of Repression in China against Muslims in Xinjiang, A report by the American NGO Human Rights Watch
The organization International Support for Uighurs proposed to the Canadian government a 12-point political-humanitarian plan “to support marginalized Uighur populations.”