So True

Submitted by Peter Herz (United States), May 22, 2010 at 09:45

Sophia, I can't read Persian, Arabic, or Turki (what the Uighurs called their language before Stalin's ethnographers decided on another name), but your story rings true. While living in Guangzhou, I bought my bread and raisins from Uighur migrants, heard a number of travellers' tales from both Chinese nationals and Westerners, and can understand why that part of the world occasionally "blows up". Communist China's attitude towards its minorities always seems to be "We liberated you [from a lot that you and your fathers held dear], and you have to be grateful or we'll shoot you for cocunterrevolution"--and there is very little real self-criticism in that culture.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".