Xinjiang, China

There is a region in western China that borders Mongolia and

Kerjakistan. The region is called Xinjiang. The famous silk road ran through this region, making it a center of trade and business. It has been the center of civil unrest for decades. The major population in the area is Muslim, known as the Uyghur's. But over the past 50 years the Chinese government has been expanding business and factories creating jobs and encouraging Han Chinese to move to the area. This has created extreme tension in the region, because with the influx of Hans the Uyghur's claim that there is a disproportion of power, with all the good jobs going to the Has instead of the majority Uyghur's.

Ethnic Uighur men leave the Id Kah Mosque after Friday prayers last month in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China. Rioting broke out in Lukqun township Wednesday between Uighurs and Han Chinese. (How Hwee Young / European Pressphoto Agency

 The women in this region are forbidden from wearing

head scarfs because it is considered a public declaration of their faith. In most of the mosques in the region women are not allowed to enter the mosques. There is such a large population of Muslims but the government refuses to allow the people to build more mosques to accommodate the growing numbers.

The Great Wall


In 2009 nearly 200 people died in riots between the Uyghur Muslims and the Han Police. Most of the victims who died were civilians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But there are still conflicting reports about how the violence started. With both sides claiming the other to be at fault.

Shopping


Since 2009 violence has escalated in the region to such a degree that it has become a regularity. On 26 June 2013 Rioters took to the streets wielding knives and setting cars on fire. 27 people were killed. 10 of them were rioters. It is speculated that this riot was in retaliation of a youth Uighur who was beaten to death by Hans.

 There has been a steady progression of violence in the

region occurring on a regular basis. The Chinese government does its best to keep the western world from seeing what is really happening. There is a large amount of Propaganda that is circulated, depicting China a country of Freedom and prosperity. The cities with the largest tourist sites are organized in such a fashion as to make people think that. But then the people who are overlooked and screaming for the world to take notice of their rights find a more drastic way to get the worlds attention

Photos of a car in flames in front of the Forbidden City were posted on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter


In October The Forbidden City was attacked by a car that plowed through crowds of tourists. Killing 5 people (including the driver and passengers) and injuring dozens more. The driver and passengers were from the region of Xinjiang. This attack was blamed as a terrorist attack by the country. And all photos and information was temporarily blocked to the Chinese public by the Chinese government.


People were terrified. Outraged. And confused? How would somebody be able to do this in the heart of Beijing? How did they get past security? The government tried to stifle the real gravity of the situation, but the truth is that we should be asking ourselves not how but what why. Why would the driver see this as his only option? Are the living conditions becoming so unbearable that riots in the news arent enough to draw attention?


Unfortunately information concerning the government is extremely censored and finding out any information that is based in fact is damn near impossible. Often times this information may cast a negative light on the government and that is why any story that is so large (like this one) ends up in the news whether the government likes it or not.

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china21954425 http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jun/26/world/la-fgchina-riots-20130627 http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/worldtonight/2009/07/ whats_been_happening_in_xinjia.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific16860974 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china21954425 http://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/10/ why-the-tiananmen-square-crash-is-sounnerving/280932/ http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-NewsWires/2013/1123/Tiananmen-Square-attack-was-jihadioperation-claims-Islamist-group