| The Ideals of Independence Groups |
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Currently, Uyghurs who oppose the People’s Republic of China and are in exile remain based in Turkey, Germany, and the United States. The East Turkestan National Congress, a federation comprised of mostly Turkish and European Uyghur organizations, has advocated peaceful means to achieve independence in Xinjiang, or as they still call it, East Turkestan. Similar Uyghur organizations in Central Asia, such as the Kazakhstan Regional Uyghur Organization in Almaty and the Kyrgyzstan Uyghur Unity in Bishkek desire secular and democratic achievements. However, in Xinjiang, there has been no unified movement towards independence.
The "Kokbayraq" flag. The flag is used by Uyghurs as a symbol of the East Turkestan independence movement. The flag's usage is prohibited in China. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
The more religiously-oriented groups are located in the southern part of Xinjiang, primarily in the Kashgar and Hetian areas. These groups, such as the “Party of Allah” or the “Islamic Uyghur Party” mainly encourage the establishment of an Islamic state in Xinjiang. There has been no evidence that these groups advocate the strictest form of Islam or that they are involved in a pan-Islamic network. Secular or not, pro-independence groups in Xinjiang are all bounded a sense of ethno-nationalism.
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