Theory-testing Uyghur terrorism in China

Mumford, Andrew

Abstract

Analysis of terrorism perpetrated by Uyghurs inside China and the presence of Uyghur fighters in the warzones from Afghanistan to Syria has been divided as to whether such violence constitutes the alignment of Uyghur groups like the Turkestan Islamist Party (TIP) with the broader constellation of global jihadi organisations pushing an extremist religious cause, or if it is representative of a more inward-looking push for the secession of Xinjiang province. This article contends that the duality of the existing discourse – jihadist or separatist? – provides a false binary. Testing the causes, conduct and organisational structure of Uyghur terrorism against prevalent theories in the field, this article argues that Uyghur terrorism actually constitutes a hybrid model of modern terrorist group in which religious discourse is used to underline the push for a separatist agenda.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 4, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Oct 30, 2018
• Publication Date: Oct 30, 2018
• Deposit Date: Oct 29, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 29, 2018
• Print ISSN: 2334-3745
• Publisher: Terrorism Research Initiative
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 18-26
• Keywords: China; Uighur; Xinjiang; Terrorism
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1202657
• Publisher URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26515428