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For more than 100 years, Uyghurs have shown strength, determination, and resilience against Chinese occupation and religious suppression. East Turkestan encompasses a vast history with leaders and scholars who have made magnificent contributions to the Ummah.
The first Islamic Republic of East Turkestan, and arguably the first Islamic republic in history, was established in 1933 and shortly dissolved in 1934. The Republic was borne out of ongoing independence and resistance movements primarily led by Uyghurs and other Turkic people living in East Turkestan, including Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, and others.
The Republic’s cabinet consisted of 16 members including notable figures such as President Khoja Niyas, and Prime Minister Sabit Damolla Abdulbaqi. Under this establishment, the national blue flag with the crescent moon and a star was introduced, and the constitution of the Republic was announced in the journal of “Istiqlal”, the official journal of the East Turkistan Istiqlal Society. [1]
Aspirations for independence date back as early as the 18th century, when East Turkestan first fell under Chinese colonial control with the rise of the Qing dynasty. It was the Qing dynasty that began referring to the land as ‘Xin Xiang’, which translates to ‘new frontier’. For this reason, many Uyghurs reject the colonial name ‘Xinjiang’ in order to preserve the indigenous roots of East Turkestan. [2] Over the years, multiple attempts were made to regain independence including the notable ‘Kuqa Rebellion’ of 1862, which forced Chinese occupiers out of the region. After this, Yakub Beg was able to establish the ‘Kashgar Emirate’ (1863-1884) and even gained support from the Ottoman Empire, which extended their political and military support. It was this same spirit that sparked several movements and attempts to liberate their land from Chinese occupation including the Islamic Republic of East Turkestan (1933).
In the run-up to the uprising, the Muslims faced continuous religious and socio-economic suppression from Chinese warlord Jin Shuren; examples of the oppression include the seizure of land from Uyghur farmers and giving them to Chinese settlers; prohibitions on participating in Hajj or practicing the religion; and moving Uyghurs into poor-quality areas. [3]
Shockingly, much of the persecution we see against Muslims in East Turkestan today is the same as it was almost a century ago.
After this period of struggle, multiple rebellions broke out. In 1933, Sabit Damolla Abdulbaqi, the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic, would eventually form the ‘Kashgar Office of the Khotan Government’ with other pro-independence leaders. On November 12th 1933, over 20,000 people and troops gathered on the banks of the Tumen River, raised their blue flag and formally proclaimed the independence of East Turkestan. [3] This new state established Islam as the official state religion but also guaranteed religious freedom for others. They focused on modernisation and development on education, health, and economic reforms. [3]
The Republic, however, was unfortunately short-lived due to the interference and joint scheming of the Chinese and Soviet governments, and ceased to exist on April 13, 1934. The Soviet Union saw the establishment of an independent East Turkestan as a threat, so they came to the aid of Chinese warlord Sheng Shisai, pushing the Republic out of Kashgar. When Kashgar was overrun, approximately 8,000 Uyghurs were brutally massacred by Chinese Hui forces. [3]
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] https://uyghurstudy.org/east-turkistan-and-the-uyghurs/
[2] Roberts, S.R., 2020. The War on the Uyghurs: China’s campaign against Xinjiang’s Muslims. Manchester University Press.
[3] https://east-turkistan.net/first-east-turkistan-republic-1933-1934/
Very interesting! Thank you for sharing this info