Results tagged “hizbuttahrir”

The Chinese government has been warning of a new enemy in Xinjiang, Reuters' Ben Blanchard reported Sunday. Hizb ut-Tahrir, also known as the Islamic Liberation Party, is accused by the government of being a "violent terrorist organization" fostering unrest among the 8 million Uighurs living in Xinjiang. "Strike hard against the Islamic Liberation Party" read signs throughout the city of Kashgar, written in Chinese and Uighur's Arabic-based script. Hizb ut-Tahrir and other observers accuse the Chinese government of magnifying the threat as an excuse to further crack down in Xinjiang a month before the Beijing Olympics. The government claims to have handled several Uighur terrorist groups this year, including a plot to sabotage a Chinese passenger jet in March. In April the government raised accusations against Hizb ut-Tahrir of posting reactionary leaflets and calling for people to demonstrate in Urumqi, Hotan, Kashgar, and Kizilsu Kyrghiz Autonomous Prefecture.