I am not privileged enough to get the daily newspaper with the morning sip of tea. Its rather late in the day that I go through the views in the newspaper of the day, news in newspaper has somewhat lost its relevance since the advent of the all time beaming news channels, yet views remain.
As I reach deeper into the daily, into the international segment, open before me are two stories covered prominently on the left and right pages as I look on.
On says “Blast in Pak madrasa used as bomb making factory kills 16, several children among dead” the other goes “Is China fraying? Racial killing and heavy handed policing stir up a repressed dangerous province”
The two stories seemingly unconnected as they were to me, were connected by a mischievous and iniquitous statement from the Chinese authority claiming role of Al-Qaeda in the Xinjiang province. It is fascinating to have a communist regime digress to using religion to thwart an attempt at sabotaging its hold over the province, but with China and the present world order it turned out to be a no surprise invocation used by the Chinese premier.
The cultural suppression in Xinjiang, which even after large influx of Han Chinese remains a Muslim majority province, is comparable to the Buddhist Tibet. Ramdaan fasting is restricted, Quran is to be read in Mandarin and the majority of the province which is a national minority has been sidelined effectively. The resentment is obvious and the reaction of the regime predictable. The last occasion when a similar situation had to be weeded out in Lhasa, China used force as now, Han Chinese played up a similar outcry in the name of nationalism, the suppression was largely similar but for the fact that foreign media was not allowed in Lhasa or anywhere in Tibet, this time Urumuqi had a few foreign journalist who were not asked to leave, the web was not blocked with the same haste. Why?
The crisis in Xinjiang province is a natural outcome of enforcement of culture by the mainland China driven by its impression of integration of the nation. Dalai Lama represents Tibet across the world and symbolizes a peaceful struggle for cultural and ethical autonomy, thus China then feared that there act of violence would be deplored by the world community but a faith that has been tarnished by violence and absolution can always be subjugated to power and to the kind of claims that Chinese premier makes. That brings the fine link between the two news stories.
China called the Tibet issue an internal crisis that the world fraternity had no rights to meddle with, but the same Chinese government on this occasion called for the support of the global brotherhood to deal with the creation of terror. The pain of Islam is that it has not been able to distance itself with arms and violence, the voices of loath against such acts from the Islamic world, though they certainly exist in plenty, have been overshadowed in the media by the tapes earlier from Tora-Bora and now from somewhere in Pakistan. This situation is an obvious discomfort to the Muslims especially to those who are a part of the Minority. They are singled out, suspected and feared and at times there fair demands are eyed with misgivings.
Even as the decrees from those unwilling to concede to the reasons of present, who continue to live in an empire of the middle ages and who disregard the revolutions outside there confines, confiscate the desires of Islamic youth, the devious use of these circumstances for strategic gains further erode the confidence of a sulking Muslim. The fear that he who is caught between a developing world and most often an impractically orthodox yet influential clergy can go haywire always exists.
China’s reactionary statements are manipulating upon the prejudices that exist against the Islamic population. The widespread assumptions are not without reason, yet presuppositions are often unfair especially when used as cunningly as they are used on certain occasions. Unfairness breeds misjudgments furthermore. This cycle need to be terminated. Someone must decide on whom does the onus lie?
As I reach deeper into the daily, into the international segment, open before me are two stories covered prominently on the left and right pages as I look on.
On says “Blast in Pak madrasa used as bomb making factory kills 16, several children among dead” the other goes “Is China fraying? Racial killing and heavy handed policing stir up a repressed dangerous province”
The two stories seemingly unconnected as they were to me, were connected by a mischievous and iniquitous statement from the Chinese authority claiming role of Al-Qaeda in the Xinjiang province. It is fascinating to have a communist regime digress to using religion to thwart an attempt at sabotaging its hold over the province, but with China and the present world order it turned out to be a no surprise invocation used by the Chinese premier.
The cultural suppression in Xinjiang, which even after large influx of Han Chinese remains a Muslim majority province, is comparable to the Buddhist Tibet. Ramdaan fasting is restricted, Quran is to be read in Mandarin and the majority of the province which is a national minority has been sidelined effectively. The resentment is obvious and the reaction of the regime predictable. The last occasion when a similar situation had to be weeded out in Lhasa, China used force as now, Han Chinese played up a similar outcry in the name of nationalism, the suppression was largely similar but for the fact that foreign media was not allowed in Lhasa or anywhere in Tibet, this time Urumuqi had a few foreign journalist who were not asked to leave, the web was not blocked with the same haste. Why?
The crisis in Xinjiang province is a natural outcome of enforcement of culture by the mainland China driven by its impression of integration of the nation. Dalai Lama represents Tibet across the world and symbolizes a peaceful struggle for cultural and ethical autonomy, thus China then feared that there act of violence would be deplored by the world community but a faith that has been tarnished by violence and absolution can always be subjugated to power and to the kind of claims that Chinese premier makes. That brings the fine link between the two news stories.
China called the Tibet issue an internal crisis that the world fraternity had no rights to meddle with, but the same Chinese government on this occasion called for the support of the global brotherhood to deal with the creation of terror. The pain of Islam is that it has not been able to distance itself with arms and violence, the voices of loath against such acts from the Islamic world, though they certainly exist in plenty, have been overshadowed in the media by the tapes earlier from Tora-Bora and now from somewhere in Pakistan. This situation is an obvious discomfort to the Muslims especially to those who are a part of the Minority. They are singled out, suspected and feared and at times there fair demands are eyed with misgivings.
Even as the decrees from those unwilling to concede to the reasons of present, who continue to live in an empire of the middle ages and who disregard the revolutions outside there confines, confiscate the desires of Islamic youth, the devious use of these circumstances for strategic gains further erode the confidence of a sulking Muslim. The fear that he who is caught between a developing world and most often an impractically orthodox yet influential clergy can go haywire always exists.
China’s reactionary statements are manipulating upon the prejudices that exist against the Islamic population. The widespread assumptions are not without reason, yet presuppositions are often unfair especially when used as cunningly as they are used on certain occasions. Unfairness breeds misjudgments furthermore. This cycle need to be terminated. Someone must decide on whom does the onus lie?
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