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ENVER CAN'S, PRESIDENT OF THE EAST TURKESTAN NATIONAL CONGRESS, SPEECH AT THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF TRP
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Intervention At the General Council of TRP By Mr. Enver Can President East Turkestan National Congress 18-21 July 2002, Rome
In the Western Press we often see pictures of Muslim men with dark skin, black-beared, sharp eyes and with image of ready for violence. Unfortunately this are very much politicised pictures which serve the very purpose of bringing the so called Islamic fundamentalism to the attention of the public. In fact this image is very misleading.
I am a Muslim. I am a part of this culture. I have, beginning 1961, walked on feet, rode horses and donkeys and travelled by car more than 10.000 km. From East Turkestan via Afghanistan, Turkey and some Balkan countries to reach Western Europe where I live now. Ever since, lived in and travelled to many Islamic countries. My impression is: the ordinary Muslim people, the population are very peacefull, friendly, known with their hospitality, steadfast and poor people who are happy with much less luxury and food than we are used to here in the West.
There many political, social and economic reasons for why they get frustrated, angry and hopeless. In short: it is the INJUSTICE!
So, the idea of extending the arm of the TRP to the Islamic world is a well thought one. As everyone in this room aware of many of the Muslim countries are ruled by authocratic regimes and dictatorships. In those countries corruption is widespread, social security is weak or non-exixtent and free espression of openion is curbed, the Governments do not represent the will of the people.
On the other hand some of the countries are supported or tolareted by western countries for different reasons, some receive technical and development aid and others not. There are some of them whose governments are being fought against By the the West. In any case, the people who suffer. In some societies which suffer This or other way, we see stronger tendencies towards violence, radicalism and extremism out of hopelessness, desperation and disillusion. And the Western media have been playing NOT a constructive in bringing the real situation of the masses to our attention. So many in those societies feel deceived, neglected and exploited.
If the TRP finds a way to address those masses and communicate with – to some extend democratic – forces and tries to be a bridge between them and the Western
2
governments and Institutions, I think it will very well serve towards globalisation of democracy, as well as defending the rights of the oppressed.
They need and expect a different approach from the real democratic world. I think the TRP has at least the right concept to address this peoples.
At the end, I would like to draw your attention to the desperate situation of my people, the Uyghur nation of East Turkestan!
The communist Chinese authorities, with their policy of repression, intimidation, Illigal population transfer and notorious birth control policy are determined accomplish their goal of complete sinisation of East Turkestan and its peoples.
Just before communist occupation the Han Chinese population of East Turkestan Was 200 000. Now after half a century, the Han population of East Turkestan, According to the officdial statistics, is more than 8-million; the members of the Peoples Liberation army and the so called “Bintuan”, that is the Xinjiang Construction and Production Corps, are not included in this figures. With its new Drive of developing the Western regions, Beijing would pour up to 50 million Han Chinese into East Turkestan in the decade to come. So, the local peoples of East Turkestan will be marginalized to 10 or 15 % of the population in their own Country.
At the beginning of June, the Chinese authorities decided to stop teaching in Uyghur Language at the University level beginning September 2002. The reason given For this decision was that there was not enough text books in Uyghur and the language is not up to date to address the needs of the modern sciences. It is absord To say that. The Uyghur language is the oldest written literary language among the Turkic tongues and it was used as official language of the Mongol Empire during 13th Century. The Mongol people still use the old Uyghur script up to now. If the Uyghur language is not developed enough and there are not enough text books, it is only the Result of the discriminative policy of the Chinese communist regime.
The religious restriction is intensified especially in recent years: the clerics are undergoing ideological re-education to adopt themselves to the party line. The Uyghurs are not fundamentalists as the Chinese regime claims and wants the world community believe. For centuries East Turkestan was the venue of peace, tolerance and stabgility. Situated along the historical Silk Road my country was the seat of various ethnic eligious and linguistic groups. For centuries these groups have lived at peace with another. Shamanism, Bddhism, Christianity and Islam flourished side by side. Nobody was discriminated against because of his race, colour or faith. The great Venetian treveller, Marco Polo, saw Nestorian Churches next to Mosques in ancient 3
city of Kashghar. At the same that Marco Polo came to China, a Nestorian Christin Uyghur monk travelled from the Court of Kublai Khan to Rome. It is amazing fact of history that Rabban Sauma, a Nestorian “heretic” from the Mongol Empire had communion with Pope of Rome and the kings of England and France. He must have been a very impressive Uyghur indeed.
The notorious birth control policy is imposed on Uyghur women against their will and Belief. Women who are pregnant for 6 to 8 months are being operated against their will and sterilised in very unhealthy conditions. There are hundreds of pregnant young women who die along with their onborn infants as result of this operations or get sick for life time.
Especially after the 11 September terrorist attacks in the U.S. the Beijing regime intensified its harsh policy of suppression executing even more Uyghurs for political reasons, arresting thousands for supporting seperatism, closing mosques and burning Thousands of books recently. The Chinese communist regime while cleaning house At home by executions, intimidation and criminalizing the civilian population. On the other hand, propagating to the outside world that it has been fighting against so called “Uyggur terrorism”. So, the Chinese regime have been trying to mislead the free democratic world to create the image of “Uyghur terrorists”. Further more, it has blamed the peacefull and democratic organisation of exile Uyghurs also as “terrorist” organisation.
In fact, Beijing have been applying policy of “ethnic cleansing” and “state terror” against peacefull dissent. The real purpose of the Chinese regime is to accomplish its policy of assimilation, sinisation and marginalizing the Muslims of East Turkestan in their own country. As the democratic and non.violant diaspora movement of the people of East Turkestan have began to catch the attention of the world community during recent years alarm bells rang in Beijing.
China have been executing more than 100 Uyghurs each year since 1997 for political Reasons. Torture with inhumane methods and disappearances is common. Amnesty International said, that, what we found in East Turkestan concerning gross violations of human rights might be only the pick of an iceberg, and the world community can not stand idle and do nothing against it.
In short, my people, namely the Uyghur nation who contributed too much to the world civilisation, is struggling for life and death and on the verge of disappearing if Something is not done to prevent the Communist Chinese regime from accomplishing Its goal of complete sinisation of East Turkestan.
4
We, the democratic voice of Uyghur people abroad are dedicated for peace, dialogue and non-violance. I call my party, the Transnational Radical Party, do adopt resolutions and work out plans and initiatives, in cooperation with the representatives Of the Uyghur people, to do more, to save us from being swollowed by the Communist Chinese regime and disappearing from the world scene.
On my part, as President of the East Turkestan National Congress, the umbrella Organisation diaspora Uyghur movement, to assist you all the way down…
In the Western Press we often see pictures of Muslim men with dark skin, black-beared, sharp eyes and with image of ready for violence. Unfortunately this are very much politicised pictures which serve the very purpose of bringing the so called Islamic fundamentalism to the attention of the public. In fact this image is very misleading.
I am a Muslim. I am a part of this culture. I have, beginning 1961, walked on feet, rode horses and donkeys and travelled by car more than 10.000 km. From East Turkestan via Afghanistan, Turkey and some Balkan countries to reach Western Europe where I live now. Ever since, lived in and travelled to many Islamic countries. My impression is: the ordinary Muslim people, the population are very peacefull, friendly, known with their hospitality, steadfast and poor people who are happy with much less luxury and food than we are used to here in the West.
There many political, social and economic reasons for why they get frustrated, angry and hopeless. In short: it is the INJUSTICE!
So, the idea of extending the arm of the TRP to the Islamic world is a well thought one. As everyone in this room aware of many of the Muslim countries are ruled by authocratic regimes and dictatorships. In those countries corruption is widespread, social security is weak or non-exixtent and free espression of openion is curbed, the Governments do not represent the will of the people.
On the other hand some of the countries are supported or tolareted by western countries for different reasons, some receive technical and development aid and others not. There are some of them whose governments are being fought against By the the West. In any case, the people who suffer. In some societies which suffer This or other way, we see stronger tendencies towards violence, radicalism and extremism out of hopelessness, desperation and disillusion. And the Western media have been playing NOT a constructive in bringing the real situation of the masses to our attention. So many in those societies feel deceived, neglected and exploited.
If the TRP finds a way to address those masses and communicate with – to some extend democratic – forces and tries to be a bridge between them and the Western
2
governments and Institutions, I think it will very well serve towards globalisation of democracy, as well as defending the rights of the oppressed.
They need and expect a different approach from the real democratic world. I think the TRP has at least the right concept to address this peoples.
At the end, I would like to draw your attention to the desperate situation of my people, the Uyghur nation of East Turkestan!
The communist Chinese authorities, with their policy of repression, intimidation, Illigal population transfer and notorious birth control policy are determined accomplish their goal of complete sinisation of East Turkestan and its peoples.
Just before communist occupation the Han Chinese population of East Turkestan Was 200 000. Now after half a century, the Han population of East Turkestan, According to the officdial statistics, is more than 8-million; the members of the Peoples Liberation army and the so called “Bintuan”, that is the Xinjiang Construction and Production Corps, are not included in this figures. With its new Drive of developing the Western regions, Beijing would pour up to 50 million Han Chinese into East Turkestan in the decade to come. So, the local peoples of East Turkestan will be marginalized to 10 or 15 % of the population in their own Country.
At the beginning of June, the Chinese authorities decided to stop teaching in Uyghur Language at the University level beginning September 2002. The reason given For this decision was that there was not enough text books in Uyghur and the language is not up to date to address the needs of the modern sciences. It is absord To say that. The Uyghur language is the oldest written literary language among the Turkic tongues and it was used as official language of the Mongol Empire during 13th Century. The Mongol people still use the old Uyghur script up to now. If the Uyghur language is not developed enough and there are not enough text books, it is only the Result of the discriminative policy of the Chinese communist regime.
The religious restriction is intensified especially in recent years: the clerics are undergoing ideological re-education to adopt themselves to the party line. The Uyghurs are not fundamentalists as the Chinese regime claims and wants the world community believe. For centuries East Turkestan was the venue of peace, tolerance and stabgility. Situated along the historical Silk Road my country was the seat of various ethnic eligious and linguistic groups. For centuries these groups have lived at peace with another. Shamanism, Bddhism, Christianity and Islam flourished side by side. Nobody was discriminated against because of his race, colour or faith. The great Venetian treveller, Marco Polo, saw Nestorian Churches next to Mosques in ancient 3
city of Kashghar. At the same that Marco Polo came to China, a Nestorian Christin Uyghur monk travelled from the Court of Kublai Khan to Rome. It is amazing fact of history that Rabban Sauma, a Nestorian “heretic” from the Mongol Empire had communion with Pope of Rome and the kings of England and France. He must have been a very impressive Uyghur indeed.
The notorious birth control policy is imposed on Uyghur women against their will and Belief. Women who are pregnant for 6 to 8 months are being operated against their will and sterilised in very unhealthy conditions. There are hundreds of pregnant young women who die along with their onborn infants as result of this operations or get sick for life time.
Especially after the 11 September terrorist attacks in the U.S. the Beijing regime intensified its harsh policy of suppression executing even more Uyghurs for political reasons, arresting thousands for supporting seperatism, closing mosques and burning Thousands of books recently. The Chinese communist regime while cleaning house At home by executions, intimidation and criminalizing the civilian population. On the other hand, propagating to the outside world that it has been fighting against so called “Uyggur terrorism”. So, the Chinese regime have been trying to mislead the free democratic world to create the image of “Uyghur terrorists”. Further more, it has blamed the peacefull and democratic organisation of exile Uyghurs also as “terrorist” organisation.
In fact, Beijing have been applying policy of “ethnic cleansing” and “state terror” against peacefull dissent. The real purpose of the Chinese regime is to accomplish its policy of assimilation, sinisation and marginalizing the Muslims of East Turkestan in their own country. As the democratic and non.violant diaspora movement of the people of East Turkestan have began to catch the attention of the world community during recent years alarm bells rang in Beijing.
China have been executing more than 100 Uyghurs each year since 1997 for political Reasons. Torture with inhumane methods and disappearances is common. Amnesty International said, that, what we found in East Turkestan concerning gross violations of human rights might be only the pick of an iceberg, and the world community can not stand idle and do nothing against it.
In short, my people, namely the Uyghur nation who contributed too much to the world civilisation, is struggling for life and death and on the verge of disappearing if Something is not done to prevent the Communist Chinese regime from accomplishing Its goal of complete sinisation of East Turkestan.
4
We, the democratic voice of Uyghur people abroad are dedicated for peace, dialogue and non-violance. I call my party, the Transnational Radical Party, do adopt resolutions and work out plans and initiatives, in cooperation with the representatives Of the Uyghur people, to do more, to save us from being swollowed by the Communist Chinese regime and disappearing from the world scene.
On my part, as President of the East Turkestan National Congress, the umbrella Organisation diaspora Uyghur movement, to assist you all the way down…
