It could have been an easy life for this comfortable, wealthy woman. Kadeer didn’t have to walk the path to become a ‘public enemy;’ she could have enjoyed her money and watched her eleven children grow up, taking care of her business activities.
But the situation of her people, some nine million Muslim Uyghurs in China´s Xinjiang region, didn’t allow her to keep a low profile. As a member of the Chinese Communist Party and also member of the People’s Congress, in 1997 Kadeer dared to openly criticize Beijing’s “Iron Fist Policy” in Xinjiang.
Two years later, she would be squeezed by this iron fist herself, imprisoned under inhumane conditions for “spreading state secrets.” During her five years in prison, she witnessed cruel torture methods that she describes in her book The Stormer of the Sky.
Since the end of 2006, the now 61-year-old Kadeer has been President of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) headquartered in Munich and Washington, DC.
In an interview with the Epoch Times, Kadeer uses dramatic words to describe the situation of Uyghur people in Xinjiang, words like “concentration camp” and “genocide.” She says that the iron fist is not the solution. “It has never been and never will be,” Kadeer is convinced.
ET: What is the situation in East Turkestan like at the moment, especially in Urumqi?
RK: The situation in East Turkestan is horrible. It is like a police state flooded with Chinese security forces. Urumqi is like a concentration camp for Uyghurs who live in absolute fear. The Uyghurs are afraid of their life from both Chinese security forces and the Chinese mobs.
ET: How high is the death toll of Uyghurs since July 5, according to the World Uyghur Congress?
RK: The death toll of the Uyghurs on July 5th is more than 400, according to a number of sources in East Turkestan. The number has certainly increased greatly after the Chinese mobs took to streets since July 6th to take revenge on Uyghurs by killing and wounding them. Some unconfirmed reports put the actual number close to one thousand. We will not know how many Uyghurs killed or wounded until China allows an independent international investigation team goes to East Turkestan and investigate.
ET: It is said by the Communist Regime that you incited the protests on July 5. Is that true?
RK: It is completely false. It is a common practice in China to blame me for anything that happens in East Turkestan and to blame His Holiness the Dalai Lama for anything in Tibet, just like last year. What sparked the July 5th protest was the mob attack, beating and killing of innocent Uyghur workers at a toy factory in Shauguan city in Guangdong province on June 26th.
ET: What relationship exists between the World Uyghur Congress and the Uyghurs in China?
RK: The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) represents the collective interest of the Uyghur people in East Turkestan and abroad. The WUC does not have any direct contact with Uyghurs in East Turkestan but we are aware of the situation there and closely following the Chinese government’s brutal rule in the region.
Hatred for the Repressive Policies, Not for Han Chinese
RK: I do not believe that the majority of Han Chinese hate the Uyghurs in East Turkestan but some of them do because of the Chinese government’s ultra-nationalist propaganda and indoctrination. So unfortunately, some Han people have been brainwashed to believe that Uyghurs are “barbaric, violent, lazy, terrorist, and separatist” and so on.
ET: Is the hatred of Uyghurs targeted towards Han Chinese or towards the … communist regime?
RK: Uyghur people’s hatred is directed toward the Chinese government’s 60-year long repressive policies, not to the Chinese people. In fact, the Uyghurs believe that the Han-Chinese are also victims of CCP’s brutal rule in China.
ET: What would be the solution for all that hatred on both sides?
RK: The solution is for the Chinese government to change its long-standing repressive policies and create preconditions for the peaceful coexistence of Uyghurs and Chinese based on equality, respect and justice.
ET: How are the living conditions of Uyghurs in East Turkestan?
RK: Terrible. Most Uyghurs live in poverty. Most have no jobs. But the Chinese settlers’ living standard is much higher. They control and have everything: power, privilege and money. Uyghurs have nothing.
ET: How are your family members who are still living in East Turkestan, are some of your children still there?
RK: Yes, I have five children in East Turkestan. China imprisoned my two sons in 2006—one for seven years and another for nine years. I have lost all contact with my family since the Sunday’s [July 5] protest. I hope they are doing well. But it is hard to imagine they are doing well as my family is targeted by the Chinese authorities for persecution.
Central Government and Hu Jintao Know About the Cruelties in Xinjiang
ET: Hu Jintao, who was Provincial Governor in Tibet before he become Party Secretary, left the G-8-summit and wants to be in charge of the situation in East Turkestan himself. Is it true that he is not aware of many of the cruelties happening on the Xinjiang Government level?
RK: Mr. Hu is fully aware of the cruelties in East Turkestan. He returned to Beijing from Italy to support his cohort Wang Lequan, the party secretary in Xinjiang who initiated all the repressive policies, which amount to a cultural genocide, in East Turkestan for more than a decade.
ET: What is your stance on Beijing’s iron fist policy towards Uyghur protestors? It is said by the regime they face capital punishment.
RK: The July 5th protest of Uyghurs has demonstrated the total failure of China’s repressive policies in East Turkestan. Iron fist is not a solution. It has never been and will never be. Execution of the Uyghurs will create more instability in East Turkestan.
ET: Is it a problem for Uyghurs if other Uyghurs work as officials for the Communist regime and are members of the Chinese Communist Party?
RK: Yes it is. But there are a lot of good Uyghurs, even though they work for the government and become a CCP member. But the real problem comes from those Uyghurs who betray their own nation to curry favors from Beijing, such as Nur Bekri, the current chairman. He is hated by all Uyghurs as a traitor.
Not a Religious Struggle
RK: The majority of Uyghurs practice a moderate form of Sunni Islam.
ET: As President of the World Uyghur Congress, you are not a spiritual leader. What role does Islam play in your organization?
RK: Uyghurs consider me as their spiritual mother. They look up to me to help them from their suffering under China’s brutal rule in East Turkestan. I will do my best to help them so that one day they could live with human dignity and freedom. Religion is important to me and my people. But our peaceful struggle is not religious.
ET: Why does the Muslim world not speak up for the Uyghurs?
RK: At the moment, they are not quite aware of our situation. I am confident that they will speak up for the Uyghur Muslims in the future.
ET: What should the international community do right now?
RK: The international community should condemn the killings of Uyghurs by the Chinese government, urge the release of all the Uyghurs arrested and call on China not to execute the Uyghurs, and allow international investigation of what truly transpired on Sunday, July 5th.
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