Xinjiang Separatist Rebiya Kadeer and Her American Friends

On July 5th, riots broke out in the capital of China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region, Urumqi; over a thousand violent demonstrators destroyed property and attacked innocent civilians. According to official reports, 140 are already dead and over 800 are injured. Xinjiang’s government has indicated that the violence was a premeditated movement directed and organized from outside of China’s borders. Those responsible are among the founders of the World Uyghur’s Congress, lead by the diehard Xinjiang Separatist Rebiya Kadeer. Much like the Tibetan separatist the Dalai Lama, this woman, a criminal working to destroy the People’s Republic of China, enjoys very close relations with the United States government.

Rebiya Kadeer was born in 1951 in the Xinjiang city of Altay. After a bitter divorce from her first husband, she married university lecturer Sidik Rouzi in 1981. Kadeer did business in Xinjiang for many years and, in 1995, Forbes listed her as the richest woman in Xinjiang and 8th richest person in all of China; her total wealth was listed as over 200 million yuan. I believe her inclusion in this list is significant – Kadeer may have had indirect ties with the U.S. before 1995 but the relationship was certainly strengthened after her inclusion on the list.

How much wealth did Kadeer actually have at this time? It’s important to note her wealth was not necessarily as much as Forbes reported, as these figures are generally approximated. In my opinion, the exact numbers were exaggerated. Not long after the list’s publication, it was discovered that Kadeer had taken on a significant amount of debt and evaded taxes for years. In total, she owed over 56 million yuan.

It’s unclear whether or not the American publication purposely inflated Kadeer’s listed wealth; it’s quite possible that they felt she could more effectively influence conditions in China from a higher spot on the playing field. Toying with the Chinese people’s respect for wealth and for the United States as a whole, the Forbes magazine’s goal may have been to help Kadeer gain clout in Chinese society, while conveniently ignoring her political and criminal activities.

After her inclusion in the Forbes List of the World’s Richest People, Kadeer’s second husband, Sidik Rouzi, left China for America. Rouzi has been engaged in Xinjiang separatist activity for a long time and has only once received a prison sentence for his work. While in Xinjiang, he often slandered the famous Chinese artist and composer Wang Yubin, accusing the celebrated artist of stealing Uyghur music. This type of libel reflects Rouzi’s deep, abiding hatred of the Han Chinese. In the early 1990s, Kadeer accompanied her husband to Turkey and met with infamous Xinjiang separatist Ai Sha, who vigorously worked to promote Xinjiang independence from China and the founding of a new state called East Turkestan. In 1996, after his move to America, Rouzi began working behind the scenes, helping the Xinjiang criminal separatists struggle towards that same goal. Kadeer’s criminal activities began to morph into a new, violent movement against the People’s Republic.

The East Turkestan Islamic Movement received financial backing from the Untied States, despite the fact that the movement had close ties with Osama Bin Laden. To be fair, this was before 9/11 and it was not yet apparent what the consequences of supporting bin Laden would be. The movement, with America’s secret support, became more uncontrollable every day. In 1996, separatists began to stir up serious trouble in the region, hoping they could make Xinjiang independence a reality by the year 2000.

During these years, separatists organized a series of outrageous, violent demonstrations in Xinjiang. Among these was the 1997 bombing of a bus in Urumqi, an event that shook all of China. I once interviewed a member of the Southern Xinjiang Public Safety Bureau who discussed with me a series of especially cruel, violent incidents fomented by the separatists. As time went on, it became increasingly clear that America’s newly crowned “Richest woman in Xinjiang” was actually financially supporting the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. Kadeer also took advantage of her relationship with her husband in America to obtain illegal intelligence and coordinate separatist activities in America.

One famous example is Kadeer’s “Tell the People of America.” This letter, drafted by Rouzi, slandered the Chinese government’s Xinjiang policies; it was later transcribed by Kadeer and sent as a desperate and deceiving plea for American help. In 1999, the assistant of an American Congressman visited Urumqi. Kadeer tried to meet with him and pass along faulty information regarding Chinese government actions against the Uyghur people, information she hoped he’d make public. She was arrested before she could do any further damage.

It is well known that Kadeer’s husband originally wrote the libelous “Tell the People of America.” Why, then, did she transcribe part of it, and then add her name to the letter? Because Kadeer had significant international name recognition and influence after her inclusion in the 1995 Forbes List. All along, America has worked to make Kadeer into a celebrity, to downplay all of her illegal activities, and to glorify her actions against the peaceful and humane Chinese government.

In August 1999, Kadeer was caught deliberately working to jeopardize Chinese national security, providing state intelligence to outside sources; she was sentenced to 8 years in prison for her crimes in 2000. After the 9/11 attacks, the war on terror dominated U.S. foreign policy. This gave America little choice but to come to terms with what China’s government has always known and acknowledge the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as a terrorist organization. Since Kadeer financially supported the East Turkestan Islamic Front, it became difficult for the United States to continue to support her. America still hoped to put pressure on China regarding the Xinjiang problem and since the East Turkestan Islamic Front was out of the picture, it needed a new puppet.

In 2004, Rebiyah Kadeer received a Norwegian human rights award while being held in prison, reflecting deeply on her separatist behavior. She later pleaded guilty and her sentence was reduced by a year. In March 2005, the day before then-U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice visited China, Kadeer was released from prison and granted permission to travel to America to receive medical treatment. Before leaving, Kadeer promised she would cease any and all activities that would jeopardize Chinese national security. She was released, an American diplomatic official accompanied Kadeer to the airport and as soon as she got off the plane, she betrayed her promise-not long after landing in the U.S., Kadeer began her work against China yet again. The second day of her stay in America, a high U.S. official leaked to the media that Kadeer’s release had been obtained only by a carefully negotiated deal with the Chinese.

In 2006, Kadeer founded the Internal Uyghur Human Rights and Democracy Fund and began serving as Chairwoman of the American Uyghur Association. In September of the same year, Kadeer was selected as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. Two months later, Kadeer was elected Chairwoman of the World Uyghur Congress. In June 2007, U.S. President George Bush praised Kadeer as an excellent representative of the Uyghur people and a cultural warrior; Kadeer is considered a Chinese public enemy and yet the leader of the free world met with her publically and openly, praising her work and her ‘bravery.’

In the two years since that meeting, the U.S. government has completely revamped Rebiya Kadeer’s image. Kadeer, a known supporter of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (a violent terrorist organization) has openly apologized for her lies and deceit. She preyed on the Chinese government’s humanitarian spirit and, with the help of the United States, never had to answer for her crimes. Kadeer has become a superficial “advocate for peace,” a turn that echoes the Dalai Lama’s rise as a “human rights warrior.”

All of this begs the question, why did the Chinese government agree to let Kadeer go abroad for medical treatment? Since former Secretary Rice’s visit to China during the Bush administration, there has been a constant stream of criticism regarding the Chinese human rights record. In an effort to prove their humane, understanding spirit, officials released Kadeer but America is nothing but a bully and a swindler. A move to gain the trust of the most powerful country in the world freed a dangerous terrorist leader; it is an effort Chinese officials look back on with regret.

After the September 11th attacks, America reluctantly acknowledged the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as a terrorist organization. But why the reluctance? Well, there are a number of East Turkestan Islamic separatists imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, men captured in Afghanistan in the company of the Taliban and Al-Queda. The United States has now confirmed that they pose no threat to its national security and has released the prisoners. However, the U.S. government was not willing to repatriate these men and allowed the Uyghurs to settle in America.

We should also note that, even though Barack Obama has brought ‘change’ to the White House, American strong-arm tactics against terrorist organizations remains the same. Consequently, the U.S. cannot openly support the East Turkestan Islamic Movement – Rebiya Kadeer, however, is easy to agree with.

When Kadeer was first imprisoned, the United States Senate passed a so-called ‘resolution’ in her defense. After she arrived in America, Congress eagerly invited her to speak before them. In addition, each year the American-Uyghur Association of the World Uyghur Congress (of which Kadeer is Chairwoman) is awarded $200,000 from the United States Democracy Fund. In 2007, under Kadeer’s leadership, the World Uyghur Congress and the International Uyghur’s For Human Rights and Democracy Fund, organizations that support East Turkestan independence, received $520,000 from the United States Democracy Fund.

Meanwhile, Kadeer has repeatedly denied the East Turkestan Islamic Movement exists and claims she is nothing more than an advocate for peace. She has been crowned the spokeswoman of the Uyghur people, their Spiritual Mother, a warrior for freedom and human rights, and so on. This publicity has been used to condemn the Chinese government’s swift response to the terrorist attacks leveled by the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.

There is also evidence that Kadeer contributed to the creation of the Uyghur 50-Year Plan for Xinjiang independence. For the sake of executing this plan, Kadeer could not continue to keep up her image as a symbol of peace. Beginning with the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Kadeer tore off her mask of “peace” and returned violence and terrorism as a way to force change. After the Olympics, using the tactics of the Dalai Lama, Kadeer instigated and promoted three violent terrorist incidents and caused at least 23 deaths in the process.

In many places, Kadeer still tried to push foreign governments to boycott the Olympics. Despite all this, the U.S. has praised her unendingly, working hard to allow her to carry out her ‘peaceful’ activities. 2009 is the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China – Kadeer’s attempt to break the Republic so close to Nation Day has shattered the image of peaceful independence she has been credited with. The violence in Urumqi on July 5th proves that Kadeer has become America’s poster child for the East Turkestan Islamic Movement.

Not long ago, violent protests rocked Iran and President Barack Obama demanded that the Iranian government carry out “peaceful” measures. Iranian officials have openly criticized America’s obvious support for the uprisings, support they feel is all too obvious. For his part, Obama is upset that Iran has yet to achieve the ‘desired result.’ Now, in Urumqi, the wide scale violent protests have gained tacit American support and instigation despite the harm lives and property.

Let’s wait and see what America’s public stance on the incident will be. Let’s wait and see how America treats their “peace and democracy warrior,” “Xinjiang godmother,” “human rights warrior” Rebiya Kadeer. Let’s wait and see how America could celebrate someone who has caused so much grief and so much havoc in the region. Then we will truly understand just what it is that America values- the U.S. plan for Rebiya Kadeer and East Turkestan will reveal the country’s true feelings towards China. I suspect we will see just how two-faced America can be.