Page 274 - Communist Chinas Policy of Oppression in East Turkestan

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the rights of the Turkic Uighurs in East Turkestan.
Furthermore, defending the legal rights of the Muslims of East
Turkestan is also a strategic necessity for Turkey itself. The Turkish re-

publics of central Asia are witnessing a battle for influence among a
number of different countries, such as Turkey, Russia and Iran. One
way that Turkey can become more influential in the region is by turning
to political initiatives to secure the love and trust of the people of that
region. If Turkey were to take on the cause of East Turkestan, there
would be an increase in belief in Turkey's strength and determination
over all the Turkish republics.
The second aspect of the matter is portraying true Islam as a role
model to the world as considered earlier. The strongest candidate in the
Islamic world to be able to achieve this is Turkey. Muslim Turkish people
have fully grasped the principles of love, respect and compassion en-
shrined in Islam, and are modern and contemporary. They also possess a
huge cultural legacy and historical vision inherited from the Ottoman
Empire. Of all Islamic countries, Turkey is the best integrated with the

Western world. Turkey can provide the most effective solution to the artifi-
cial "conflict of civilizations" that is being encouraged between the Islamic
and Western worlds.
It is to be hoped that the twenty-first century will see a solution to the
East Turkestan problem, and that the whole Islamic world, including
East Turkestan, will enjoy peace and security. The future of East
Turkestan, like that of the Islamic world itself, is, by the will of Allah,
bright and hopeful. Signs of that have already begun to appear.
Muslims are determined to stick by their beliefs despite cruelty and op-
pression, and there is now a worldwide trend towards a return to reli-
gious morality.

Communist China’s Policy
of Oppression in East Turkestan