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Quick 5 : Everything you need to know about the Uyghur community

Speed News team | Updated on: 10 February 2017, 1:50 IST

On 21 April, India granted permission to the members of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) to visit Tibetan leader Dalai Lama at Dharamshala, much to China's dismay.

World Uyghur Congress leader Dolkun Isa is a terrorist in the eyes of China, which insists that it is the prerogative of all countries to bring him to justice. India's move was deemed to be in response to China's blocking a ban on Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar in the UN.

On 25 April, however, India overturned their decision, and have now withdrawn Dolkun Isa's visa. While India and China play catch up, most of us have been left wondering who the Uyghurs are.

Here are five facts on the Uyghurs :

1. Who are the Uyghurs?

The Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group, largely inhabiting areas in Eastern and Central Asia. A majority of the Uyghur population lives in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. Outside of China, the Uyghur community thrives sporadically in Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey.

2. History of the Uyghur community

The history of the Uyghur people and their ethic origin is one laden with controversy as the Uyghur nationalists and the Chinese authority have varying versions on the same.

Uyghur historians viewed the Uyghurs as the original inhabitants of Xinjiang, while the official Chinese view asserts that the Uyghurs in Xinjiang only became the main social and political force in Xinjiang during the ninth century when they migrated to Xinjiang from Mongolia after the collapse of the Uyghur Khaganate.

3. Religion and culture

The ancient Uyghurs believed in Shamanism and Tengrism, and later Manichaeism, Buddhism and Church of the East. Modern Uyghurs are now primarily Muslim, and they are the second largest Muslim ethnic group in China. The modern Uyghur language is classed under to the Karluk branch of the Turkic language family.

4. The World Ughyur Congress

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) is an international organisation of exiled Uyghur groups pledged to represent the collective interest of the Uyghur people both inside and outside of Xinjiang. The WUC describes itself as a nonviolent and peaceful movement that opposes what it considers to be the Chinese occupation of East Turkestan, and advocates rejection of totalitarianism, religious intolerance and terrorism as an instrument of policy.

The WUC was formed in 2004 in Munich, Germany, as a collection of various exiled Uyghur groups. Rebiya Kadeer is the current president, elected in 2006. Dolkun Isa is current General Secretary, reelected in 2006. While Kadeer has been in exile in the United States since 2005, Dolkun Isa has sought refuge in Germany.

5. China vs World Uyghur Congress

The government of the People's Republic of China has accused the organisation of fuelling unrest in Xinjiang, and added the WUC to its list of alleged terrorist organisations. The Chinese government has also alleged that Kadeer has close ties with the Dalai Lama, accused by China of inciting unrest in Tibet in 2008.

First published: 25 April 2016, 12:46 IST