Turkistan Islamic Party Urges Jihad in China

The Terrorist Monitor (2009) recently published an article warning of the Turkistan Islam Party ("TIP") urging Jihad in China. Several warnings apparently appear in the latest issue of the journal Turkistan al-Muslimah (Muslim Turkistan), which was published by a jihai web forum (muslm.net, March 26, 2009). The Terrorist Monitor reports that the journal is identified as the work of al-Hizb al-Islami al-Turkistani, or simply, the TIP. A concern for China is that the latest publication of Turkistan al-Muslimah focused on the Chinese government's alleged discrimination against the Turkic Uyghur Muslims of China, though, distinguishably, failing to mention the China's Hui (Han Chinese) Muslims. The journal's stated aim is, supposedly, revealing:

"[T]he real situation of our Muslim nation in East Turkistan, which is living under the occupation of the Communist Chinese and to disclose the falsehood of the Chinese government, exposing its crimes [against Muslims] to the world... [we want the] world to understand our cause and rights, that we are seeking our freedom and independence and to be ruled by God's Shari'a (Issue 1). . . . " (Terrorist Monitor, 2009).

Then there is the published interview of the Amir Abdul Haq, who, as leader of the TIP, made the following statements.

"[T]he Amir spoke about the training camps he and his Uyghur colleagues attended in Khost, Bagram, Kabul and Herat in the late 1990s, when Afghanistan was still controlled by Taliban. He informed the readers that the Uyghur group was part of the military wing of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) led by the late Uzbek jihadi commander, Juma Namangani (Issue 3 pp 10-11). The TIP was unknown before it emerged last year to make unsubstantiated (and often implausible) claims of responsibility for various terrorist actions across China. It also issued threats of biological, chemical and conventional attacks on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, though the group apparently failed to carry out any operations during that period. Little has been heard from the movement since. . . (Terrorist Monitor, 2009).

The Qaeda-style article written by Abu Ja'afar al-Mansour is also noteworthy, as he warns Beijing:

"China beware... take a lesson from those who preceded you, the Americans and [their] allies, who were defeated badly in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. Do not walk on the same road and do not use the [same] approach in prejudices [against] God's subjects and in looting their wealth and fortunes, and in shedding the blood of the children...as America is doing in Iraq and Afghanistan (Issue 3). . . " (Terrorist Monitor, 2009).

Source:

Murad Batal al-Shishani, "Journal of the Turkistan Islamic Party Urges Jihad in China", Terrorist Monitor, Volume VII, Issue 9, April 10, 2009.