05/07/2009 BEIJING At least three people were killed Sunday, July 5, and many wounded in deadly clashes in Muslim-majority Xinjiang region over cultural and religious controls imposed by China. "It started as a few hundred, and then there were easily over a thousand involved," an eye-witness told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Advocates of Uighur Muslims said the protests were sparked by prevailing discrimination and cultural and religious controls in their region.
"There were thousands of people shouting to stop ethnic discrimination, demanding an explanation," said Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the Germany-based World Uighur Congress.
"This anger has been growing for a long time."
Xinjiang and its Uighur Muslims, a Turkish-speaking minority of more than eight million, continue to be the subject of massive security crackdowns.
Muslims accuses the government of settling millions of ethnic Han in their territory with the ultimate goal of obliterating its identity and culture.
They also cite a recent government plan that has brought the teaching of Mandarin Chinese in Xinjiang schools, replacing their local dialect.
Beijing views the vast region as an invaluable asset because of its crucial strategic location near Central Asia and its large oil and gas reserves.
Source: IslamOnline
Ulasan: Give justice to Muslims.
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