In recent years, they’ve gone much further and now seem to see all Uighurs as potential terrorists, extremists, separatists. Now, the Chinese government has been cracking down on the Uighurs for decades, but post 9/11, Beijing took advantage of George Bush’s so-called War On Terror to brand all opposition to Chinese rule as evil “Islamic terrorism” of the Al Qaeda variety. Or East Turkestan as many Uighurs prefer to call it, especially those who support from independence from China. MH: Who are the Uighurs and why do they matter, why should they matter? Well, they’re one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the Chinese government a mainly Muslim, Turkic-speaking minority group who comprise less than 1% of the Chinese population – though they live in China’s biggest province, Xinjiang. Nury says China is carrying out a “cultural genocide” against his people So, why isn’t the world, why aren’t we, doing more to stop it? MH: That’s my guest today, Nury Turkel, a prominent Uighur-American lawyer and human rights campaigner. NT: As a lawyer, as an advocate, as a Uighur, I believe that my people are going through a modern day cultural genocide. Welcome to a special end-of-the-year episode of Deconstructed, a bonus if you will, in which we’ll examine, discuss, cast a light on, what’s become perhaps the biggest human rights crisis in the world this year – even though it still, in my view, doesn’t get enough attention globally, including here in the West. MH: You haven’t spoken to a family member in China for nearly 18 months? MH: When was the last time you spoke to a family member? Deconstructed has big plans for 2020 with your support, election coverage, debate coverage, more live events out on the road, like our recent show in D.C. When everyone chips in, it adds up quickly. Your donation no matter what the amount does make a difference. It may seem small, but it has a big impact over time. Consider becoming a sustaining member at $5 or $10 a month. Membership is not only about money, it’s about a proud and public declaration of support for the kind of fierce adversarial journalism we do every day. Right now you can head to /give and do just that. The Intercept and Deconstructed rely on readers and listeners like you to support the journalism that we do here every day. Mehdi Hasan: Hello, this is Mehdi Hasan and before we get to today’s show, I have a small request. Nury Turkel is a U.S.-based attorney and Uyghur rights advocate and he joins Mehdi Hasan to discuss the situation in Xinjiang - and why so much of the world doesn’t seem to care about it. The Chinese government has claimed that the camps are merely vocational training centers, but in November a trove of leaked documents, dubbed the China Cables, confirmed what the world had long suspected: the camps are Communist Party re-education centers in which Uyghurs are forced to abandon their traditional religion and language. It’s been described as the worst human rights crisis in the world - the arbitrary detention in sprawling camps of a million or more Uyghur Muslims in China’s northwestern Xinjiang province.
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