China appeals for understanding from Muslim world

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Al-Qaeda vows to hit China over Uighur unrest: report
Al-Qaeda is threatening for the first time to attack Chinese interests overseas in retaliation for the deaths of Muslims in the restive region of Xinjiang, according to a risk analysis group. The call for reprisals against China comes from the Algerian-based offshoot Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), according to a summary of its report sent to AFP by the international consultancy Stirling Assynt. "Although AQIM appear to be the first arm of Al-Qaeda to officially state they will target Chinese interests, others are likely to follow," said the report, which was first divulged by the South China Morning Post Tuesday. Osama bin Laden's network has not previously threatened China, but the Stirling report said a thirst for vengeance over Beijing's clampdown in Xinjiang was spreading over the global jihadist community. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese work in the Middle East and North Africa, including 50,000 in Algeria, estimated the group, which has offices in London and Hong Kong providing risk advice to corporate and official clients. "This threat should be taken seriously," Stirling said, basing its information on people who it said had seen the AQIM instruction. "There is an increasing amount of chatter ... among jihadists who claim they want to see action against China. "Some of these individuals have been actively seeking information on China's interests in the Muslim world, which they could use for targeting purposes." Stirling said the extremist group could well target Chinese projects in Yemen in a bid to topple the Beijing-friendly government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The intelligence firm also noted Al-Qaeda's killing of 24 Algerian security officers who were meant to be protection for Chinese engineers three weeks ago. "On that occasion they did not attack the Chinese engineers because the target was the project on which they were working. "Now, future attacks of this kind are likely to target security forces and Chinese engineers alike," the report said. The most likely scenario would be that Al-Qaeda's central leadership would encourage their affiliates in North Africa and the Arabian peninsula to attack Chinese targets near at hand, it said. Al-Qaeda centrally does "not want to open a new front with China," the analysis said. "But equally their sense of Muslim solidarity compels them to help and/or to be seen to be helping. This is also a factor in helping the organisation regain support and funding from their global constituency." Chinese authorities have said that riots in the Xinjiang city of Urumqi by Muslim Uighurs on July 5 left 184 people dead -- most of whom were Han, China's dominant ethnic group -- and more than 1,600 injured. Uighur leaders accuse Chinese forces of opening fire on peaceful protests, in the latest unrest to rock the Muslim-majority region of Xinjiang. Chinese authorities have previously blamed low-level attacks on Xinjiang's East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which Beijing, the United States and the United Nations list as a terrorist organisation. China has also said that ETIM militants have received some training and funding from Al-Qaeda. However, many experts have told AFP that they doubt the ETIM is a major threat in Xinjiang, and some lawmakers in the United States are pushing for the terrorist label to be lifted. The US government meanwhile last month released four Uighurs from the Guantanamo Bay detention site, years after clearing them of any wrongdoing. Beijing's bid to have them extradited was denied and they are now in Bermuda.

by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) July 14, 2009
China appealed to the Muslim world for understanding Tuesday over its handling of deadly unrest in its far northwest, as it denied accusations from Turkey that it was guilty of genocide.

"We hope that the relevant Muslim countries and Muslims can recognise the nature of the July 5 incident in Urumqi," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.

"The incident in Urumqi on July 5 was aimed at sabotaging China and sabotaging ethnic unity. It was orchestrated by the three forces (of terrorism, religious extremism and separatism) in and outside of China."

Deadly unrest in Urumqi, the capital of the remote Xinjiang region, between members of China's Muslim Uighur minority and Han Chinese, has drawn concern from some governments and groups in Islamic countries, particularly Turkey.

Chinese authorities said riots in Urumqi on July 5 left 184 people dead -- most of whom were Han, China's dominant ethnic group -- and more than 1,600 injured.

Exiled Uighur leaders accuse Chinese forces of opening fire on peaceful protests, and say the number of people killed is far higher than the official tally.

Qin insisted the "decisive measures" taken by Chinese security forces were aimed at maintaining social order and ethnic unity between the Muslims and the Han.

"If (Muslims around the world) have a clear idea of the true nature of the incident, they will understand China's policies concerning religious issues and understand the measures we have taken," he said.

Qin dismissed remarks made over the weekend by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said the plight of China's Uighurs amounted to "a kind of genocide."

"In 1949, the population of Uighurs (in Xinjiang) was 3.29 million, at present the Uighur population there is nearly 10 million, or three times more than 60 years ago. What kind of ethnic genocide is this?" he said.

The Uighurs are a Turkic-speaking people who have long said they suffer repression and discrimination under Chinese rule.

earlier related report
Uighurs called for 'jihad' before shootings: Chinese state media
Three Uighur men tried to incite other Muslims to launch a "jihad" and attacked a mosque security guard before police shot and killed two of them, state media reported Tuesday.

The incident began when around 150 Muslims were praying in a mosque in Urumqi, the capital of the northwest Xinjiang region on Monday, Xinhua news agency said, citing an unnamed imam who was giving a service at the time.

One man stood up and tried to take over the prayers but was stopped, the imam told Xinhua. A few minutes later the man reportedly stood up holding a green banner and started calling for a "jihad".

The imam then ended the prayers, adding: "We will definitely not follow you. Get out!", according to Xinhua.

As the man was being ordered from the mosque, two other men took out three 50 centimetre (20 inch) long knives from a bag, Xinhua said.

Security guards then tried to stop the men. One of the guards, aged in his 40s who did not want to give his name, said the group chased him out of the mosque wielding the knives where they met patrolling police, Xinhua said.

Police fired warnings shots to try to stop the men before shooting at the three, killing two and injuring one.

A government statement released on Monday soon after the attack said: "Police shot and killed two suspected lawbreakers and injured one suspected lawbreaker using legal means."

The statement said the three Uighurs were trying to attack another person from the Uighur minority group.

The government's statement and the Xinhua report conflicted with accounts by two Uighurs who said they witnessed the incident from 50 metres (yards) away and that three Uighur men had been trying to attack security forces.

"They hacked at the soldiers with big knives and then they were shot," said one of the witnesses, who said the incident took place across the street from a mosque.

The incident showed the city remained volatile despite a huge security clampdown following unrest on July 5 which left more than 180 people dead, in the worst ethnic violence to hit the country in decades.

Thousands of Han Chinese retaliated in the following days, arming themselves with makeshift weapons. Despite a hefty security presence, authorities have since struggled to keep a lid on sporadic violence.

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Police shoot dead two in China's restive Urumqi: govt
Urumqi, China (AFP) July 13, 2009
Police shot dead two knife-wielding Muslim Uighurs in China's restive Urumqi city on Monday, authorities said, as violence flared again despite a massive security crackdown. The shooting took place in a Uighur district of the city and triggered an immediate show of force by riot police who poured into the area carrying semi-automatic weapons and closing shops, an AFP reporter witnessed. ... read more

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