ABSTRACT
Xinjiang is China’s largest province and is located in the extreme north-western side of the country. The conflict in Xinjiang is a multifaceted one. As a region, Xinjiang has been contested by the Han Chinese, Central Asians of various ethnicities and the Russians. The region is isolated, and feelings of aloofness are very strong. ‘Like most inland provinces in China, Xinjiang’s opening up to the outside world started much later than the coastal regions’. The World Uyghur Congress is the most visible face of opposition and resistance to Chinese rule outside the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The intersection between religious identity and its expression and China’s state policies deserves special attention whilst looking at conflict zones in China’s distant borderlands. Religious groups in China are seen as subversive and as recalcitrant elements and hence very threatening. From time to time throughout history religious groups especially those associated with ethnic minorities have tried to undermine the state’s political authority and power.
