While comfortably sitting in front of a computer screen in the Times Online London offices, columnist Michael Binyon has decided to inform me that my home here in Xinjiang, China is going to be "explosive" in 2009. While my family back at home may find this to be disconcerting news, I personally just tend to wonder how much he or many other journalist really know about this region.
He asks:
"What in the world will go wrong this year?...It is always the unexpected that has politicians, journalists and the UN Security Council scrambling. It will be the same in 2009. We will suddenly know the names of small towns caught up in a new conflict zone, understand the ethnic balance of warring communities or recapitulate forgotten history to show why the eruption of violence was always on the cards."
He then goes on to make his armchair predictions about places such as Azerbaijan, the Balkans, Thailand, the Phillippines, etc., citing events and "indicators" about which I admit to having no knowledge. Then he decides to tell me about my home:
"China, too, has ethnic rebellions. There seems little chance that Tibetans will again be able to defy Beijing. But in the remote north west the Uigurs, non-Han Muslims, are fiercely opposed to Chinese rule and further terrorist attacks in Xinjiang could provoke a violent response from the Chinese Government."
I can't speak for all of Xinjiang, I understand, but during my 3 years of living and traveling throughout this province I have never once felt unsafe or subject to attack and this includes my recent travels to Kashgar, the site of last year's terrorist attacks. Are there hard feelings? Yes. Tensions? Of course. But are all of these people "fiercely opposed" to China? Such an absolute statement is absurd. Today I had lunch at a Uyghur friend's home and during our visit one of his Chinese friends dropped by for a nice chat. I work with both Uyghur and Han teachers while teaching Uyghur and Han students. I personally take offense on behalf of all these people when our home gets mentioned alongside the Gaza strip or Georgia.
Maybe I'm ignorantly optimistic, but I'd like to think that I have a better finger on the pulse of this region than Mr. Binyon over there in his London offices. Just please do me a favor, anybody who reads this, and don't believe everything you hear in the news.
Sources:
Times Online: Warning: These Spots Could Be Explosive in 2009
6 Comments:
Hi.
Why don't you send Mr. Binyon of the Times an email setting him straight about Xinjiang?
To set the record straight, I have nothing against Mr. Binyon or most of what was said in the article. I just think that a couple events leading up to the Olympics are not a clear indicator that things are turning bad over here and I wanted all readers of this blog to know that.
As far as sending Mr. Binyon an e-mail? I might just do that. I'll let you know if he replies.
Comments such as this are not surprise. The Western media has an obvious bias against China. There is a vast difference between what is reported on Fox News, or in various conglomerate-controlled media sources, and the realities of life in China.
I heard a tourist recently say there are no terrorists in China. That was all "made up" so China would feel like a "Big Boy," like the rest of the world's powerful nations. Hogwash. Yes, there are terrorists, as there are everywhere, the North American domestic variety included.
The comments you have taken issue with are misconceptions fueled by addle-minded hacks. It's the same as the propaganda spouted before the illegal invasion of Iraq. Makes you wonder what's in the wind.
Some western journalists like to take sth for granted and they believe that is their free-speech and their medias aren't controlled by gov.
It's not strange there is/are sth going to happen in 2009. But I believe most people in Xinjiang object the terrorism(The local Uyghurs helped the police capture the terrorists on 08/29/2008). And the terrorists cann't make any threat to the police/army.
But the gov must be careful, any terrorism may lift the tension between Uyghurs and Han. Uyghurs may think the gov aims at them when the gov fights terrorism. The Han may think they are the aim of the terrorists.
Provoking ethnic and religious hatreds are not accepted, whoever he is. I don't want China to be Iraq, Afghan, Pakistan or Palestine.
Nobody in "free" countries would believe you. They think you are brainwashed by communist. Or may be you are a communist. How can a communist think freely? You must be paid by the communist government to say so. West knows more about China than those people live there.
I grew up in Xinjiang. I had no political sense about so-called 'terrorism'. The people I got along with are Hans and Uygurs. We each other are keeping good relationship. I agree what Josh said.
Now I left Xinjiang. I really miss laheman, nang, kowab, 擀面皮...
This blog lessens my homesick.
Thank you.
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