Xinjiang Residents Face Jail Over Forbidden Music

TaiwanPlus News

China has further tightened its control in Xinjiang, banning the sharing of so-called “sensitive songs.” But locals say these songs are about tradition and faith, not politics.

Transcript

00:00Uyghur musician and activist Rahima Mahmoud sings freely here in London.

00:10But in her homeland, that same voice could land her in detention.

00:14Chinese authorities are tightening restrictions on Uyghur language and traditional songs they consider sensitive.

00:20It has a very strong religious sentiment.

00:26The words, the lyrics are a lot about the divine, the beloved.

00:35And you can hear from the singing, Allah, you know, God.

00:41And these are the songs that is completely banned in my country.

00:48Officials in Kashgar, in China's far northwestern province of Xinjiang,

00:52warned that listening to, storing, or sharing banned songs could lead to prison, according to the Associated Press.

01:00Officials have flagged seven kinds of so-called problematic songs,

01:04from folk ballads to newer music from the diaspora.

01:07But analysts say there's little in them that could be called extremist.

01:10On the one hand, the Chinese Communist Party seeks to represent itself as the protector of Chinese Uyghur heritage.

01:24But on the other hand, it works very carefully to make sure that nothing is expressed which could,

01:31as it puts it, damage the unity of the nationalities.

01:35The UN has accused China of human rights abuses in Xinjiang,

01:39saying Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities are subjected to mass detention,

01:44forced assimilation, and widespread surveillance.

01:47Beijing describes its policies as legal counterterrorism measures.

01:51But instructions to replace Muslim greetings with the Chinese Communist Party's political slogans

01:55are silencing Uyghurs like Rahima Mahmoud.

01:58Even for any ordinary Uyghur people, banning the language, the music, the songs,

02:08everything that represents us as people, that is devastating.

02:15It's like living dead.

02:18Rahima Mahmoud left her homeland to live abroad and pursue her passions freely.

02:23But for millions of Uyghurs living in Xinjiang,

02:25sharing a tune may not be such a simple pleasure.

02:28Joseph Wu and Jeremy Olivier for Taiwan Plus.

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