Uyghur

The Uyghurs are a Turkic Muslim people indigenous to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (historically known as East Turkestan) in northwestern China. They number approximately 12 million in China and 1 to 1.6 million in diaspora worldwide, primarily in Central Asian countries, Turkey, and the Middle East. The Uyghur civilization has ancient roots along the Silk Road, with city-states like Kashgar, Hotan, and Turpan serving as major trade and cultural centers. The modern Uyghur identity crystallized in the early 20th century, drawing on a shared Turkic language, Sunni Islam (Hanafi school), and the legacy of the Kara-Khanid, Chagatai, and independent East Turkestan republics. Since 2017, the Chinese government has conducted a mass internment campaign in Xinjiang, detaining an estimated 1-1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in 're-education' camps, described by many governments and human rights organizations as genocide.

Uyghur culture reflects its Silk Road heritage, blending Central Asian Turkic, Persian, and Islamic influences. The Twelve Muqam musical tradition, a complex suite of songs, dances, and instrumental pieces, is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Traditional instruments include the dutar (two-stringed lute), rawap, and tambur. Cuisine features polo (pilaf), laghman (hand-pulled noodles), samsa (meat-filled pastries), nan bread, and dried fruits. Meshrep community gatherings combine music, dance, storytelling, and moral instruction. Architecture features carved wooden doorframes, courtyards, and Islamic geometric patterns. Carpet weaving and silk production are traditional crafts. Family structure is patrilineal with strong communal bonds.

Uyghurs follow Sunni Islam of the Hanafi school. Religious practice is deeply intertwined with ethnic identity -- mosques serve as community centers, Islamic education is valued, and Ramadan observance, Hajj pilgrimage, and daily prayer are central. Sufi traditions, particularly the Naqshbandiyya order, have historically been influential. Mazar (saint shrine) visitation was common before the Chinese crackdown destroyed many shrines. In the diaspora, religious practice intensifies as a marker of identity resistance against Chinese assimilation policies. In Saudi Arabia, Uyghurs can practice Islam freely but live under constant fear of Chinese transnational repression and Saudi-enabled deportation.

Full Bible available in Uyghur. Jesus Film available. GRN has audio recordings. Very few Uyghurs are known to be Christians: the people are deeply devout Muslims, with Islamic identity serving as a core element of ethnic resistance to Chinese persecution. Abroad, many Uyghurs' first concern is safety from Chinese pressure and deportation, and host-country restrictions on proselytising apply (see each country).

Saudi Arabia has become a site of Chinese transnational repression against Uyghurs. At least six Arab governments -- including Saudi Arabia -- have detained or extradited Uyghurs at China's behest. Around 292 Uyghurs have been detained or deported from Arab states since 2002. In Saudi Arabia specifically, at least five Uyghurs were forcibly deported to China in 2017-2018. In November 2020, Saudi authorities detained religious scholar Hemdullah Abduweli and Nurmemet Rozi at Chinese request, holding them without charge in al-Dhahban intelligence prison north of Jeddah. In 2022, Buheliqiemu Abula and her 13-year-old daughter were detained near Mecca and faced deportation. The pattern reflects Saudi Arabia's prioritization of its economic and political relationship with China over its obligations as custodian of Islam's holiest sites to protect Muslim pilgrims and refugees.