Thread by @TimppaKarjalai1

These tweets are always the same. Vibrant centre for community, sure. Also, it is exactly in religious circles and among locals who frequently traveled to other Central Asian countries where the extremism and radicalism has spread to the point terror acts would happen regularly.

https://twitter.com/annafifield/status/1310751936174456833

Western journalists and human rights advocates are obsessed with portraying China as "North Korea", successfully omitting nuance about history of the region and downplaying the role radicalisation has played in the de-radicalisation that followed.

Basically, they just successfully apply to feelings and empathy and craft the false narrative of a "genocidal China", knowing that noone in the West knows anything about XUAR.

I say "successfully" because it seems to work, for most.

Classic fake news. Not always a full lie, rather partly truth but distorted truth, used to lead to absolutely wrong conclusions and absurd comparisons.

"All Uyghurs of the area can't be terrorists", they often day. Of course they can't be. Or separatist, or panturkist nationalists, or jihadist, or descendants of those early XX century Altishari who were in bitter conflict with China.

But many of them can be and were.

Radicalisation works as a cult, takes different shapes, forms different subgroups, united by the common narrative within their ethnos - in this case a very clear snti-China ethnos. The old, almost millenia old Turk vs Han impulse.

Which, of course, is ethno-nationalist and is in direct conflict with earlier XX century impulse of "getting freed of slavery of the landlords" that was rather popular among many Turkic people in central Asia, resulting in establishing socialist states almost all over CA.

Because the socialist and collectivist impulse was "internationalist" (in communist terms), the separatist is nationalist. Two extremes that sparkle conflict & violence.

So, what's going on now? China is trying to eradicate the extreme nationalist & radical thinking in Xinjiang.

It has certainly overreacted, bit ask yourself if it's hard NOT to overeact to mass killings during ethnic riots, or bus bombings.

Separatist Uyghurs have literally set up their community, now their kin who cry "where are my relatives" from abroad are additionally used by the West in its own game.

It becomes practically impossible for many to uderstand whatta hell is going on.

I argued and argue that one should deeply study history of Xinjiang, to be better informed.

I could also call to feelings, and ask how would YOU, dear journalist, feel if your kid was killed in a bus bomb terror attack? And this would occur to your peers for dozens of years? Would you be able to stay "civilized" with your hypocritical "but their culture" reasoning?

But of course, we shouldn't insinuate that all in the community should now pay for what their kin were doing in the past.

The details is, China is not engaging in "cultural war" with Uyghur community. Only with radicalism. Very widespread radicalism.

I have a special place in my heart for XJ, and I think current Western propaganda hurts locals more than both radicalisation and some overreactions that followed during current anti-terrorist policy.

They're planting long term "Xinjiang" narrative and it's definitely for a reason, but I'm not gonna speculate the reason, it's up to you.