By Uran Botobekov
THE DIPLOMAT - August 17, 2016
Analysis of the world’s Islamic jihadist movements shows
that over the past few months, the Internet-based propaganda activity of
the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) has increased dramatically. The
Turkestan Islamic Party, a group also called the East Turkestan Islamic
Movement (ETIM), fights for the establishment of a fundamentalist
Islamic State of East Turkestan in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous
Region.
The TIP’s members consist mainly of ethnic Muslim Uyghurs.
Since 2001, the group has been affiliated with al-Qaeda. After the
emergence of the Islamic State (ISIS), the ideological goals and the
scale of hostilities of the Turkestan Islamic Party shifted. In 2013,
the TIP moved to join the Caliphate, integrating, along with a pair of
Uzbek groups, into a faction of Jabhat al-Nusra.
Recently it was reported that on July 28, 2016 Abu Muhammad al-Julani,
the leader of Jabhat al-Nusra announced that the group would be renamed
as Jabhat Fath al-Sham.
Today more than 2,000 TIP fighters in alliance and under
the leadership of Jabhat Fath al-Sham are fighting in the northwest part
of Syria against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. According to Al Arabiya News
there are a few thousand Uyghur fighters in Syria, many of whom arrived
with their families after a long and treacherous journey from China and
Central Asia. They are believed to have been seen in large numbers in
disparate regions of Idlib, including the strategic town of Jisr
al-Shoghur, Ariha, and the highlands of Jabal al-Zawiya.
The analysis shows that in recent months the TIP has posted
more than 30 videos and other propaganda material on the internet. A
careful study of this material makes it clear that significant changes
have occurred in the ideological and strategic goals of the TIP since
2010. The position of the Turkestan Islamic Party against the Chinese
authorities has become even more radical. If previously the party’s
strategic objective was to conduct a terrorist struggle against the
power structures of China and to separate Xinjiang from Beijing, today
it sets a more global objective. TIP fighters call on the world’s
Muslims to join the jihad against Western countries in internet videos.
Perhaps most worringly for China, the TIP believes that Muslims may
fight locally using various means instead of coming to Syria and Iraq to
conduct a “holy war” against the “infidel” Western regimes.
TIP’s Propaganda Work
In addition to military actions in Syria, the TIP has begun
to focus greater attention on propaganda work. On August 5 it launched a
new channel via the Telegram
instant messaging service, which houses a variety of information on the
nature of jihad propaganda. TIP fighter and members alike are capable
of transmitting information to others on the private channel. The leader
of TIP, Abdul Ahad Turkistānī (Abd al-Ḥaqq al-Turkistānī), is
registered as a moderator of the Telegram channel. Overall, the
messaging is a kind of blunt challenge to the coalition forces led by
the United States, who are fighting against the Islamic State in Syria
and Iraq.
Since 2008, the information center of the TIP has produced
an Arabic print and online color magazine, “Islamic Turkestan.” In its
latest issue (#19), published in May 2016, there were materials on a
variety of topics, ranging from the Salafi doctrine of jihad to
anti-Chinese articles. In contrast to earlier issues, the range of
subjects has expanded. Earlier issues mainly focused on Beijing’s
military suppression of Uyghurs in East Turkestan, while in recent
issues the TIP gives political assessments of the events in Syria and
Iraq. In particular, the Turkestan Islamic Party condemns what they call
the “crusade” of Western states led by the United States against Syria.
In the lead article, NATO is called an “Alliance of Crusaders,” which
weakens jihad with airstrikes. The TIP also accuses Russia and Iran of
providing military support to Assad. The lead article states that “the
Russian planes and tanks will not save the Alawite regime of Assad, as
the Mujahideen in Sham will soon destroy it with the support of Allah.”
The article concludes with an appeal to TIP fighters to support the
people of Sham and remain steadfast on the path of jihad which it states
is “specified by the Messenger of Allah.”
The magazine also continues its focus on the oppression of
Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province. Headlines include: “East Turkestan
is seething under Chinese repression,” “History of the suffering of
Muslims,” “China has adopted controversial laws on the fight against
terrorism,” “Gushing wound of East Turkestan,” “Crimes of the Chinese
Communist Regime,” “Save Turkestan until it is too late,” “Crying of
silk scarves of Uyghur mothers,” and others. The last page of the
magazine states that “the emancipation of East Turkestan from the
Communist China is the duty of every Muslim of East Turkestan.” Articles
include colorful photos of Islamic scholars, TIP fighters in Syria, and
violent repression by the Chinese police.
Analysis of published materials shows substantial and
thematic similarities between the TIP’s magazine and other periodicals
issued by radical Islamist terrorist groups.
It should be noted that all videos, statements, and audio
materials from TIP have been prepared and posted on the Internet by the
group’s the official media center,“Islam Awazi,” which translates as the
“Voice of Islam.” In particular, on July 22, 2016 the Turkestan Islamic
Party distributed a video titled “My Desire,” which
highlighted photos of Uyghur fighters in Syria and their struggle with
the Chinese army in the city of Urumqi. Behind the scenes, a song states
in the Uyghur language, “We want to live according to the canons of
Shariah as true Muslims and to conduct holy war against infidels on
earth.” Half a dozen similar videos were posted over recent months in
addition to several songs and music videos.
TIP Turns Against ISIS
Among the many videos of “Islam Awazi,” the audio message of TIP Emir
Abd al-Ḥaqq al-Turkistānī posted on May 28, 2016 deserves special
attention. It shows that he is alive and still runs the Turkestan
Islamic Party. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik previously stated
that al-Haqq was killed in a U.S. drone strike in North Waziristan on
February 15, 2010, but the TIP never confirmed the death of its leader.
After four years it was reported in the media that he was able to
recover from his injuries.
In a new audio message, al-Haqq called Uyghurs “in any
corner of the world, wherever they may be” to join jihad. According to
al-Haqq, “today they are making jihad in Sham, helping their brothers,
and tomorrow the soldiers of Islam must be willing to return to China to
emancipate the western province of Xinjiang from the communist
invaders.”
However, he also condemned ISIS and the Islamic Movement of
Uzbekistan (IMU) as “illegitimate.” In his opinion, “the proclamation
of Caliphate [by ISIS] was equivalent to unripened crop harvesting,
since it was established without the approval of the Islamic leaders and
the Ummah” (the international community of Muslims). He argued that the
Caliphate had to be established on the basis of Shariah, and not on a
political basis. He condemned the brutal executions of ordinary Muslims
by ISIS fighters and questioned the theological knowledge of its leader,
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. At the end of his messages al-Ḥaqq explained the
ideological and religious reasons for the split between the Turkestan
Islamic Party and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
In August 2015, Usman Ghazi, the IMU leader,
took the oath of allegiance to ISIS emir al-Baghdadi, and cut ties with
al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Uzbek militants from Central Asia who split
from the IMU, remaining faithful to al-Qaeda under the wing of the
terrorist group Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), swore allegiance to Mullah
Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, the new leader of the Taliban. In December 2015, following the “betrayal,” the Taliban fought against and defeated the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
in the Afghan province of Zabul. According to al-Ḥaqq, the IMU leader’s
fatal error led to the collapse of the group. But its defeat was in the
interest of the TIP, since the two organizations who sought to create a
caliphate in Central Asia and China’s Xinjiang were secretly competing
with each other for influence.
Uyghurs in the Arms of Global Jihad
“Islam Awazi,” the TIP’s media center, publishes three to four videos
monthly in the column, “A Call From the Front Lines of Jihad,” which
report about the military “successes” of TIP fighters. Also, a monthly
“Tourism of the Believers” video is produced which demonstrates the
“peaceful” and “military” life of Uyghur fighters in Syria. There are
regular columns titled “Lovers of Paradise,” “Blessings Are the Strangers,” “Go Forth Oh Mujāhid.” “Islam Awazi” also posts letters, orders, statements, messages, and greetings from TIP leadership in PDF format.
After careful analysis of the video, audio, and printed
materials from “Islam Awazi” it can be concluded that almost all of them
contain anti-China slogans as well as a call for jihad. Despite the
transition of its main fighting force to Syria and its initiation within
the global jihad, throughout the entire period of its existence the TIP
has maintained a position against China specifically. All of its
promotional materials raise the problem of Xinjiang and express concerns
about the repression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. The Turkestan
Islamic Party attempts to appeal to traditionally painful issues for
Uyghurs, such as the Chinese birth control policy, expansion of the Han
in Xinjiang, and discrimination and persecution of Muslims by Beijing.
There is a call for jihad at the end of each message, regardless of
format.
The TIP attempts to legitimize its terrorist activities by
invoking the name of Allah. “The fight with China is our duty to Allah,”
says Abdullah Mansour,
one of the Islamic ideologues of the party, who justifies his political
objectives with theological rhetoric. According to Mansour’s logic, the
armed struggle against China is not a political objective of the TIP;
it is the will of Allah. TIP leaders argue for their two main objectives
— the separation of Xinjiang from China and the establishment of the
Islamic state of “East Turkestan” in its place — using verses of the
Quran.
The ideology of the Turkestan Islamic Party has undergone a
number of significant changes resulting from rapprochement with
al-Qaeda in Waziristan (2001-2010) and Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria
(2013-2016). In particular, the TIP has expanded the geographic reach of
its interests and has strengthened links with radical Islamists from
Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Maghreb. Today, the TIP has
become a serious contender in global jihad. As a result of the impact of
transnational radical Islamic groups on the TIP, the doctrine of jihad
has been permanently entrenched as the basis of the organization’s
ideological platform. The TIP’s propaganda materials have acquired a
pronounced jihadist hue. “Islam Awazi” has obviously adopted the style
and form of presentation of other extremist groups in preparing its
videos, particularly following the models of ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Jabhat
al-Nusra.
The TIP has also successfully started to mimic the tactics
of the Taliban while conducting terrorist attacks. Before 2003 the
targets of TIP attacks were officials, police, and members of the
Chinese security forces. After its integration with al-Qaeda, Uyghur
fighters began carrying out attacks in crowded and busy areas. This has
led to an increase in “the damaging effect” of attacks and an increasing
number of victims. The terrorist attacks in 2013-2014 in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Urumqi, and the attempt to hijack the aircraft Hotan-Urumqi indicate a change in targets and places for the attacks. Today ISIS-inspired radicals in Europe repeat the experience of TIP fighters, who massacred Han Chinese at stations in Kunming and Guangzhou using knives, axes, and machetes in 2014.
Ruse of the “Red Dragon”
The globalization of Uyghur jihadists from the Turkestan
Islamic Party, along with their separatist ideology, have become major
problems for China. Beijing’s repressive policies in Xinjiang have
pushed some Uyghurs to move from nationalism into the arms of Islamic
extremists. Demonstrated violence against the Uyghurs, violation of
their human rights, and restrictions and prohibitions on Islamic
practices contributed to the development of the terrorist threat.
Beijing, with its aggressive policies in Xinjiang over the past 15
years, has strengthened the position of the TIP which, in turn,
exacerbated the problem of Uyghur nationalism and separatism, which rose
to join the ranks of global jihad. Leader of the ISIS Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has said that China is the target of the Islamists.
China pursues purely personal interests in the fight
against ISIS. The Chinese state-owned oil company Sinopec has made
multimillion dollar investments to develop oil and gas fields in Iraqi Kurdistan.
This provides Beijing with an opportunity to influence Turkey, which
tacitly supports Uyghur separatists out of a sense of ethnic solidarity.
China has not forgotten the statement of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
that “Eastern Turkestan is not only the home of the Turkic peoples, but
it is also the cradle of Turkic history, civilization, and culture. The
martyrs of Eastern Turkestan are our own martyrs.”
However, as experience has shown, China takes a passive
position in the struggle against global Islamic jihad in Syria and Iraq.
Beijing has not sent its troops to the Middle East to fight ISIS and
has instead confined itself to diplomatic support for Russia and the
United States. The Chinese government uses the attacks of Islamic
jihadists to persuade Western countries to support Beijing’s position on
Xinjiang and turn a blind eye when the freedom and rights of Uyghurs
are harshly suppressed by Chinese security forces. Therefore, China is
not perceived by the West as a reliable partner in the fight against
terrorism.
Uran Botobekov has a Ph.D. in political science and is an expert on political Islam.
