The ongoing unrest in Xinjiang, China is now escalating to the point where Beijing needs to take the issue seriously and simply not keep dismissing it as a “terrorist attack.” China needs to hear out the legitimate concerns of the Uighurs, and recognize that their rising tensions with China are both historically and politically entrenched. A legitimate valid outlet needs to be established to receive Uighur concerns in Beijing.

Problems between China and the Uighurs, the indigenous ethnic population living in Xinjiang, have been escalating since China’s 1949 Revolution when Mao and the communists took control of the country. The Han Chinese have been slowly immigrating to Xinjiang and it is no surprise that the Uighur population feel threatened, since Xinjiang only officially became a part of Communist China in 1949. It is also important to point out the evident differences between the Uighurs and the Han Chinese – the Uighurs regard themselves “culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian Nations,” and Islam is an important part of their lives. Their language is also distinctively different from the Chinese, and is more closely related to Turkish. The long history of antagonism between the two groups is the main reason for the current turmoil in the region.

If this area has been antagonized for decades, why is the violence escalating and death tolls rising now? Uighur militants seem to have been drawing more on models of terrorism in the Middle East, and this could also be a move to split up the two groups. In any case, Beijing can no longer continue to suppress and ignore Uighur concerns, since it is clear that some have dared to take and will probably continue to take drastic measures to further their own political agenda. One could even suggest that this is a push for separatism from China.

Beijing needs to create an outlet and hear out the dismayed voices of the Uighurs, who fear that their traditional culture is destroyed. The regional government only continues to blame extremists and separatists in the area, inspired by overseas terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda. Uighur protests have now escalated with 40 ‘rioters’, 6 civilians, and 4 police officers being killed. Meanwhile, the Uighur community argues that it is the oppressive Chinese regime that has pushed many to resort to violence. News reports in the area is not necessarily reliable however, since the Chinese government strictly controls all media outlets. Reports are often delayed with no explanations, thus confirming these reports is almost impossible.

Xinjiang is only one example of regional distress from ethnic and religious groups oppressed by states. The Uighurs do not identify themselves as Chinese, although they are forced to be subject to Chinese rule and oppression, along with local quarrels with Han Chinese moving into the area. National governments need to start realizing the consequences of historical territorial disputes and should engage in actively mending damaged relations with different groups in their countries.