Summary
This article discusses the history of how the PRC Government has viewed Islamism, and in the wake of increased radical terrorist attacks at the turn of the 20th Century, began to limit even more religious activities, especially in Western China. This article then highlights how even more restrictive policies have created further radicalization due to a ‘us vs them’ mentality.
Abstract
As a secularist state, China has always been highly sensitive about religious traditions, particularly Islam. During the late 1990s and especially after the 9/11 terrorist events, the government rhetoric has been to equate the Islamic knowledge and identity with violent ethnic separatism, and more recently extremism and terrorism (Roberts, 2016, 2018). Thus, the Uyghurs’ right to access Islamic knowledge and practice Islam has been increasingly restricted and diminished (Cook, 2017; Millward, 2018). After reviewing the recent history of Chinese rhetoric and policies regarding the religious education in Xinjiang, this article discusses the possible ramifications of such developments, via the lenses of postcolonialism, the Politics of Recognition (Taylor, 1994), the push and pull factors that trigger radicalization, and religious literacy. Meanwhile, through sharing the perspectives of the Uyghur diaspora in Canada, the author also highlights that current Chinese policies and practices could deepen the “us” vs. “them” dichotomy between the Muslim Uyghurs and the majority.
Keywords: China, Religious Knowledge and Education, Policies and Rhetoric, Religious Extremism, Uyghurs