On April 3, hundreds of members of the Uyghur Islamic community protested the passage of the Olympic torch in Istanbul. Hayrullah Efendigil, member of the World Uyghur Congress, stated: "We don't want a country like China, with a bad human rights record, to hold the Olympics, which symbolize humanity, peace and brotherhood." The protesters were surrounded and hemmed in by the police while they unfurled a banner that read "Turkey, stand by your brothers’ side." Six protesters were arrested by the police near the historical Blue Mosque.
Who are the Uyghurs?
The Uyghurs are 16 million Turkic speaking Muslims indigenous to this area, formerly known as East Turkestan, which since 1949 it is known as the Autonomous Region of Xinjiang. (A short-lived East Turkestan Republic had been declared in the late 1930s and 40s). In the past this region was a fundamental point of the Silk Road. During its history, it was annexed by various ruling dynasties of China and Central Asia. The Autonomous Region of Xinjiang is a vast (1,660.000 km²) desert area, rich in oil. Currently, circa 46% of its 19 million inhabitants are Uyghurs, while the ethnic Han Chinese make up 38% of the population. Xinjiang borders with the Autonomous Region of Tibet (south), the provinces of Qinghai and Gansu (southeast), Mongolia (east), Russia (north), Kazakhstan, Kirghizistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indian Kashmir (west). Xinjiang comprises a large portion of Aksai Chin, a region claimed by India as part of the Jammu and Kashmir state.
continue...
Who are the Uyghurs?
The Uyghurs are 16 million Turkic speaking Muslims indigenous to this area, formerly known as East Turkestan, which since 1949 it is known as the Autonomous Region of Xinjiang. (A short-lived East Turkestan Republic had been declared in the late 1930s and 40s). In the past this region was a fundamental point of the Silk Road. During its history, it was annexed by various ruling dynasties of China and Central Asia. The Autonomous Region of Xinjiang is a vast (1,660.000 km²) desert area, rich in oil. Currently, circa 46% of its 19 million inhabitants are Uyghurs, while the ethnic Han Chinese make up 38% of the population. Xinjiang borders with the Autonomous Region of Tibet (south), the provinces of Qinghai and Gansu (southeast), Mongolia (east), Russia (north), Kazakhstan, Kirghizistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indian Kashmir (west). Xinjiang comprises a large portion of Aksai Chin, a region claimed by India as part of the Jammu and Kashmir state.
continue...
