China bashing is getting fashionable.

“Their history is the story of an obscure nomadic tribe from the Altai Mountains rising to challenge the Chinese empire, founding their own in the 8th century, which stretched from the Caspian Sea to Manchuria. Because of their strategic location on the Silk Road, they thrived on trade. They came under Han sovereignty only in the 17th century”

1) “Challenge” ?? why don’t just used the word “Invaded”. They must have driven out someone ? Who?

2) “Uighurs to a minority in their homeland, ominously called “Xinjiang””, then you wrote that “Their history is the story of an obscure nomadic tribe from the Altai Mountains”?? That’s oxy moron, because as you wrote they are from Mongolian region. The Chinese Hans were there as recorded as far back as the Han Dynasty (Silk Road?)

3) “They came under Han sovereignty only in the 17th century”, and I thought the Turks only ruled there for 70 years, but who drove them out ? The Tang Dynasty ? Aren’t they technically Hans ?

BTW, as far as I know, in the 17th century when the Qing invaded Xinjiang, Mongols were in the majority (Who BTW ruled China Proper once before). The Mongol resisted the hardest, and the Qing nearly drove them to extinction. Then in came the Turks (Uighurs) to fill up the space.

4) “All Uighurs must study Chinese, and very few Uighurs can dream of going to university.” I believe one of the prominent student leader in TianAnMen incident was a Uighur.. Wu Ka’er ? China’s minority policy favors the Uighurs more than the Hans ever wished they had.

In fact, try to get a good paying job in America or Europe, without able to read, write and speak their respective languages.. I would like to see how you would fare. Not to mention, if one was actually born and raise there.

Eric Walberg is a journalist who worked in Uzbekistan and is now writing for Al-Ahram Weekly in Cairo… -> ahh a thousand mile expert.