User talk:Rhale2018/sandbox

INTRO

The historical area of what is modern day Xinjiang consisted of the distinct areas of the Tarim Basin and Dzungaria, and was populated by Indo-European Tocharians and Saka peoples, who practiced Buddhism. They came under Chinese rule in the Han dynasty as the Protectorate of the Western Regions due to wars between the Han dynasty and the Xiongnu and again in the Tang dynasty as the Protectorate General to Pacify the West due to wars between the Tang dynasty and the Turkic Khaganates. Some Uyghurs nationalists claim Uyghurs emerged around 6,000 years ago, while others accept the more recently proposed theory of their ascendance from the Xiongnu people. The Islamicisation of Xinjiang began as early as the 10th century, but was not complete until the 17th century. A push to create a separate, independent state, known as “East Turkestan”, began in the 19th century and still continues today. In 1949 the region was officially incorporated into China and in 1955 was officially named, “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region”. More than half of the current population is Uyghurs, although since 1949 Han Chinese have continuously migrated into the region to improve the economy.

TARIM BASIN

The discovery of the Tarim mummies has created a stir in the Turkic-speaking Uighur population of the region, who claim the area has always belonged to their culture, while it was not until the 10th century when the Uighurs are said by scholars to have moved to the region from Central Asia.[6] American Sinologist Victor H. Mair claims that "the earliest mummies in the Tarim Basin were exclusively Caucasoid, or Europoid" with "east Asian migrants arriving in the eastern portions of the Tarim Basin around 3,000 years ago", while Mair also notes that it was not until 842 that the Uighur peoples settled in the area. DNA analysis of the mummies has suggested that some of the deceased had potential Eurasian origins, while others are attributed to having connections to The Indus valley and Oxus (Amu) River Valley. These discoveries indicate that Xinjiang had a very diverse population early on, and has long been a crossroad for people coming in from Europe, Asia, and Eurasia.

HAN AND TANG RULE

During the Han dynasty, the Tocharians and Sakas of Xinjiang came under a Chinese protectorate in 60 BC, with the Chinese protecting the Tocharian and Saka city states from the nomadic Xiongnu who were based in Mongolia. Since the Han Dynasty, the East and West have traded local and luxury goods along what is now referred to as the Silk Road. The Yuezhi, descendants from the Kushan Empire, succeeded Han rule and took control of the southern Tarim Basin. It was during this time that Buddhism was introduced to the Tarim Basin. During the Tang dynasty, they once again became a protectorate of China with China protecting the Tocharian and Saka city-states against the Turkic Khaganate and the Turkic Uyghur Khaganate. The An Lushan Rebellion ended the Tang Dynasty after almost 100 years rule in the mid-8th century. It would not be until the Qing dynasty that Chinese would resume their rule in this region.

UYGHUR MIGRATION INTO TARIM BASIN

It was not until the 9th century that peoples considered “Uyghur” settled into the Tarim Basin. The Uyghers built an empire that existed between the years 744 until 840 in the the modern day nations of the Inner Mongolia, Mongolia, and Siberia. During the An Lushan Rebellion, Tang China lost control of Xinjiang when they were forced to withdraw their garrisons. Although the Chinese received aid from the Uyghur Khaganate in crushing An Lushan's rebels, however, multiple provocations by the Uyghurs such as selling bad quality horses to China, practicing usury when lending to Chinese, and sheltering Uyghurs who committed murder resulted in a major deterioration in relations between China and the Uyghur Khaganate. Tang China then allied with the Yenisei Kirghiz and defeated and destroyed the Uyghur Khaganate in a war, triggering the collapse of the Uyghur Khaganate, which caused Uyghurs to migrate from their original lands in Mongolia southwards into Xinjiang.

KARA-KHANID CONQUEST OF KHOTAN
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POST-1949 XINJIANG UYGHUR AUTONOMOUS REGION

Following the Qing dynasty, the Turko-Mongolian names of the cities in Xinjiang were given Chinese names in acknowledgment of the Han-era domination of Xinjiang. However, Xinjiang was not officially incorporated into China until Mao Zedong took over in 1949. Even prior to 1949, starting in the 19th century, pan-Turkic ideals began to form and the push to create a separate state known as “East Turkestan” began. The name East Turkestan was initially created by Russian forces occupying the area, but was adopted by Uyghurs in response to push back against the overwhelming Chinese presence. And because Uyghurs more closely identify with their Turkic heritage as opposed to a Chinese heritage, East Turkestan also refers to this concept as well.

Since the creation of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in 1955, Xinjiang’s population has become statistically less Uyghur (and therefore less Muslim), though more than half of the population remains Uyghur. And since this time, the Chinese Communist Party initially allowed maktaps and madrasas to continue in Xinjiang in order to preserve harmonious relations with Islamic leaders and peoples, the CCP eventually declared that Islam opposed communist values and has tried to gradually reduce its influence in the nation. During the Cultural Revolution, Muslims were persecuted for being considered against the value of unity. This led to Islam becoming more intertwined into Uyghur culture, which can be witnessed in the rise of mosques and madrasas after Mao’s death in 1976. (282) More recently, many laws and policies aimed at the practice of Islam has come into effect, including wearing headscarf’s, men growing long beards, and practicing religious holidays and events. These measures can be seen as an attempt by the Chinese government to “de-Islamicize” Xinjiang. As a result, East Turkestan has not only been used in nationalist movements to emphasize the Turkic heritage of Uyghurs, but also evolved to include their Islamic heritage as well.

The New Silk Road

A push to improve industry and economic conditions in Xinjiang has been a goal for the Chinese government since its adoption in the mid-20th century. The government’s attempts to increase industry in Xinjiang have caused increased numbers of Han Chinese to move into the region because the government believes bringing in educated and skilled workers can aid in boosting economic development. As a result, ethnic clashes have become common occurrences, intensifying relations between Han and Uyghur citizens. A foreign policy initiative “The New Silk Road” was created in 2013 to “to increase its access to energy resources in Central Asia, to open new markets for Chinese goods through the construction of infrastructure and thus offset some excess industrial and manufacturing capacity, and to promote stability in Xinjiang”, as well as improve living standards. (69) It is believed improving economic conditions may lessen the unrest occurring in the region, but there is little being done to address the issue of ethnic tensions and inequality.

Terrorism Connections

A combination of Uyghur nationalism, ethnic tensions, and influences from external radical Islamic organizations have been attributed to the rise of terror activity in Xinjiang in the past three decades. Consequently, national security measures have restricted the influence of Islam in Xinjiang such as those listed previously. To the Uyghurs and other Muslims around the world, these measures are seen as a direct attack on Islam and an attempt to create a secular Chinese society. It has also been suggested that the Chinese government has used the United State’s “war on terror” to start their own campaign, which targets Muslims in Xinjiang to combat terrorism. More recently, terror groups, including al-Qaeda, have made direct calls for jihad in Xinjiang and all of China to contest the repressive Chinese government.