Mosques in Xinjiang: An Examination of the Effects of Mosques on Social Unrest
Open Access
Author:
Ma, Mingwei
Area of Honors:
International Politics
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Xun Cao, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Matthew Richard Golder, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Xinjiang Social Unrest Religious conflicts ethnic disparity
Abstract:
Xinjiang Province in Northwestern China has witnessed a sharp spike in violence in the past 30 years. Recently, the increasing unrest even starts to threaten China’s authority in Beijing. The government in Beijing tends to portray the strife as a result of the conspiracy that intentionally organized by ethnic separatists, religious extremists and terrorists to destroy national unity. This is markedly different from contemporary western studies and media discourse which place more importance on China’s harder than ever cracking-down religious policies. In this regard, this research aims to explain the role played by religious organizations Xinjiang. This paper challenges the argument that Xinjiang riots revealed deep-rooted religious issues in this region of China (Shan, n.d.). It contends that unlike what many people would presume, religious repression may not be a major cause of the unrest, as mosques in Xinjiang do not facilitate the collective action of riots. Instead, mosques may perform as a “collective voice” mechanism, which in the end substantially reduces the level of riots.
