No abstract

As a secularist state, China has always been highly sensitive about religious traditions, particularly Islam. During the late 1990s and especially after the 9/11 terrorist events, the government rhetoric has been to equate the Islamic knowledge and identity with violent ethnic separatism, and more recently extremism and terrorism (Roberts, 2016, 2018). Thus, the Uyghurs' right to access Islamic knowledge and practice Islam has been increasingly restricted and diminished (Cook, 2017; Millward, 2018). After reviewing the recent history of Chinese rhetoric and policies regarding the religious education in Xinjiang, this article discusses the possible ramifications of such developments, via the lenses of postcolonialism, the Politics of Recognition (Taylor, 1994), the push and pull factors that trigger radicalization, and religious literacy. Meanwhile, through sharing the perspectives of the Uyghur diaspora in Canada, the author also highlights that current Chinese policies and practices could deepen the "us" vs. "them" dichotomy between the Muslim Uyghurs and the majority Han population as well as the Chinese state, therefore creating more tension in society.

No abstract

Her research in comparative and international education focuses on women and development, critical multicultural education and social justice issues, refugee education, and the role of education in combating violent extremism. Dr Hicham Tiflati is a senior researcher studying Canadian foreign fighters based at Waterloo University. Dr Tiflati is also coordinator of the 'Canadian Muslims online' project based at UQÀM, and a fellow at the Center for the Research on Religion (CREOR) at McGill University. He was a co-investigator for the study 'Educational trajectories of radicalized females' at McGill University. Helal Hossain Dhali is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Integrated Studies, Faculty of Education, at McGill University. His research centres on the role of education in youth perceptions of extremism in Bangladesh. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies in Dhaka University, Bangladesh. His areas of interest include education, extremism, environment and gender.

This report presents the results of “The Uyghurs in the Diaspora in Canada” survey. It was conducted between November 2020 and January 2021, by the research team affiliated with the project, Children in Sectarian Religions and State Control at the School of Religious Studies, McGill University.[1] Our aim was to gather information on the Uyghurs who left their Homeland (East Turkestan/Xinjiang) and relocated to Canada. The survey consists of 45 questions that focus on why and how these immigrants came to Canada and what challenges they faced in China. Our respondents numbered 106, and our findings indicate that they were subject to widespread discrimination and oppression in China before emigrating to Canada. Other questions explore their contact with relatives in their Homeland and their level of religiosity since arriving in Canada. Finally, we sought to understand how they are currently attempting to preserve their Uyghur culture and language while living in diaspora.   [1]. For further information on the project please visit the following site: Spiritual Childhoods – Children in Minority Religions, http://www.spiritualchildhoods.ca