Location: The Boardroom, 29 Bute Gardens, University of Glasgow

 

Abstract

Xinjiang, home to the Uyghurs, has been the focus of intense government crackdown. China claims that the province is exposed to security threat especially from what it considers the “Three Evils” which are Terrorism, Extremism and Separatism. Recently the Chinese government has established ideological camps in Xinjiang to counter the spread of radical ideas among the locals. This seminar analyses the radicalisation that have happened in Xinjiang especially among the Uyghurs and its impact on the security and stability of the province. This seminar will examine causes of radicalisation and how it has contributed to the rise of political violence. In addition, this seminar also discusses the responses by the Chinese authorities which have resulted in the decline of human rights. I argue that if the human rights situation in Xinjiang does not improve, this may lead to more serious ethnic tension between the Uyghurs and Hans. This seminar concludes by looking at the possible options to deal with the problem in Xinjiang.  

Keywords: Xinjiang, China, Central Asia, human rights, terrorism, radicalisation

 

Biographical Sketch

Roy Anthony Rogers is a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Strategic and International Studies, University of Malaya, having joined the department in 2001. He has a Master in Strategic and Defence Studies (M.SDS) from the University of Malaya.  He has also taught at the Malaysian Armed Forces Staff College (MAFSC). In 2012 he obtained Ph.D. from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and his research interest are government and politics of the Central Asian republics and human rights conditions in Xinjiang. His area of specialisation includes Political Science, International Relations (Theories of International Relations) and History (China and Central Asia). In 2015 he was invited by the Unrepresented Nations & Peoples Organization (UNPO) to speak at the European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium on the political condition in Xinjiang. He is also currently the Head for the Department of International and Strategic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. One of his latest publication is The Struggle of Human Rights in Xinjiang (2018).

First published: 14 January 2019

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