The Chinese aim threats at western journalists. Again the western media comes under criticism in China. Nobody gains from slanted journalism, not the Han, not the Uyghurs, and not the West.

Until late at night on Sunday the 5th of July, when protests broke out in Ürümqi, capital of Xinjiang, the westernmost Chinese province, I was in touch with friends on the scene. Later that night telephone and internet connections to this place of the world were severed. I’ve not heard from my friends and acquaintances since then, and I have to rely on the international media for information from Ürümqi.

The rioting took place between Uyghurs and Han Chinese. The Han are familiar to the media. Last year they organised the Olympics. De Han fell victim to the earthquake in the southern province of Sichuan, and they were the ‘bad guys’ at the time of the Tibetan riots.

The Uyghurs draw less media attention than the Tibetans do, but their situation is comparable. The Uyghurs are one of many ethnic minorities in China but in Xinjiang, their native province, they form that largest ethnic group. Just like the Tibetans, Uyghurs feel their lifestyle and culture are under pressure due to mass migration of Han Chinese to Xinjiang.

Since I rely on the international media for information from Ürümqi it strikes me that the media is very ignorant about Chinese policies towards ethnic minorities. I read many inaccuracies in the reporting on the recent protests. Such untruthful journalism fuels anger amongst the Chinese about the West, which doesn’t seem prepared to take China seriously at all.

Take for example the 8-o’clock news on Monday the 6th of July. In an attempt to provide the context of the Ürümqi riots the NOS (Dutch Broadcast Foundation) asserts that frustration among Uyghurs is immense because “Tukish at school is prohibited” and “mosques have been closed down”. Both ‘facts’ are just not true.

In the case of Turkish education the controversy is largely contained within the Uyghur community. The Uyghur language is related to Turkish. Parents are free to decide to send their kids to Uyghur schools. Educated Uyghurs often choose to send their kids to Chinese schools though, because a Chinese education gives you much better career prospects. This situation upsets many traditional Uyghurs.

Visiting a mosque hasn’t been prohibited for several decades. Imams are under surveillance from the state and their education is tightly regulated by the government, but such ideas can be heard in the West as well. There are some exceptions however. Youngsters are prohibited from visiting a mosque, and students and civil servants are likewise prevented from practicing their religion.

In the same week de Volkskrant also didn’t take its journalistic responsibilities very seriously. In their front page article ‘Peking wil van geen leed horen’ they claim that the Chinese government forces Uyghurs into low-paid jobs on the Chinese east coast. It is certainly true that there are policies aimed at finding employment for Uyghurs. It may even be the case that some Uyghurs are ‘forced’ to accept such jobs because of their economic situation. But the government in Beijing forces nobody to make their money in this way. Other ethnic minorities and Han from economic backwaters are equally encouraged to migrate east and find jobs on the prosperous east coast.

A remark in Trouw that “the Chinese government depicts the Uyghurs in the media as dangerous terrorists related to Al-Qaeda” is similarly untrue. The opposite is the case. In an attempt to create a harmonious society, Beijing often depicts ethnic minorities as peaceful, traditional, even cute. Through this approach a lot of tourists are drawn to economically underdeveloped regions. Uyghurs are annoyed at being labelled as ‘cute’ and prefer social and cultural liberties rather then economic investment. The Han find the Uyghurs ungrateful. ‘Strike it rich first, and then we’ll discuss these other issues’, so say the Chinese.

Not all is well about Chinese policies towards ethnic minorities. But out of ignorance or sympathy the western media is too quick to judge ‘powerhouse China’. The Han find this very upsetting; they are annoyed at mistakes in western reporting on China.

This anger shouldn’t be underestimated. In the future China will think twice before it invites western journalists to ‘come and look for themselves’ when problems occur in the restive areas. The West, which would like to gain a foothold with their international human rights, takes a step back instead. And the Uyghurs? If the eye of the international community doesn’t reach into Xinjiang anymore, then they have much more to fear from the Chinese government. It’s in nobody’s interest to slant reporting on the Ürümqi riots. Everyone is better of when facts and opinions are reported as accurately as possible.

This article is a translation of the original ‘Eenzijdige verslaggeving helpt Oeigoeren niet’, which was published in Trouw on Wednesday the 15th of June 2009.

One town

It is hard to image how the army can separate two ethnic groups in a city of approximately 2 million people. The Uyghur neighbourhood is perhaps a little poorer than much of the rest of town. It’s full of Islamic restaurants, small shops, and the Grand Bazaar. Uyghurs are known for their entrepreneurship. ‘When Neal Armstrong set foot on the moon the first person he met was a Uyghur tradesman’. You can hear this anecdote everywhere in China.

But tens of thousands to Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities don’t live in the Uyghur neighbourhood. Ürümqi is a city of traders. Kazakh, Russian, Pakistani, you can hear all of these language in one of the sprawling trade centres dotted around the city. Uyghurs that have climbed to social ladder often take up residence in the rest of town, where apartments are newer and more luxurious. Ürümqi isn’t a city of two neighborhoods that the media makes it out to be; quite the contrary in fact.

Two schools

Uyghur parents have a choice between two types of education: ‘min-kao-min’ and ‘min-kao-han’. ‘Min’ means ethnic minority, ‘han’ is Han-Chinese. ‘Kao’ is Chinese for taking exams. ‘Min-kao-min’ are school where Uyghurs are educated in their own language. At ‘min-kao-han’ schools Uyghurs receive a Chinese education together with Han students. They sit the nationwide exam. Uyghurs that have attended ‘min-kao-han’ school have better career prospects than their ‘min-kao-min’ counterparts, but traditional Uyghurs regard them with some disdain.