I have shared several times in previous blogs about the Uyghurs, a minority Muslim people group in Western China.

The men in this video are mutual friends of people I know who are working, or had worked, in Kashgar. Since this video was made, these men were sentenced to fifteen years in hard labor camps. Please keep them and their families in your prayers. "Remember your brothers in chains," Hebrews tells us.

Once again, the Uyghurs/Uighurs are in the news.

If you have followed my blog, you know that I have posted a few times about this minority Turkic Muslim people group in Western China (a.k.a. the Xingiang Autonomous Region). Today, they are in the news again.

(From today's Washington Post:)

The Supreme Court said Tuesday it will hear a new case about the rights of Guantanamo detainees, this time involving prisoners who remain in custody even after the Pentagon determines they're not a threat to the United States.

The high court said it will take a challenge from Chinese Muslims at the U.S. naval base in Cuba who no longer are classified as enemy combatants. Last year, the court said in a 5-4 ruling that federal judges could ultimately order some detainees to be released, depending on security concerns and other circumstances.

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Below is an excerpt from an article on ChinaAid.org regarding a man with whom I have mutual friends. He has been in prison for a year and a half, and his trial is scheduled for tomorrow. In light of the conflict in the Xinjiang region of China, things are not hopeful for Alim, apart from a mighty act of God. 

Please pray for Alim's trial tomorrow.

XINJIANG – The trial for Uyghur Christian prisoner Alimujiang Yimiti has been set for the morning of July 28. Alimujiang Yimiti has been arbitrarily detained at Kashi Municipal Detention center since January 12, 2008, charged with “revealing state secrets or intelligence to overseas organizations.” However, ChinaAid contacts say the reason for his imprisonment is his Christian faith and witness among the Uyghur people.

Following is a link to an excellent article by Nicholas Bequelin of Human Rights Watch explaining the background of recent ethnic violence in Xinjiang.  I highly recommend it.

Please continue to pray for this broken region.

Behind the Violence in Xinjiang

HONG KONG — The eruption of ethnic violence in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, the most deadly recorded in decades, seems to have taken both Beijing and the world by surprise. It should not have.

The violence continues in western China, and more deaths are reported. From CNN.com ("Ethnic Unrest in China Leads to Mass Arrests"):

"Police halted people who had gathered in nearby Yili Kazak Prefecture and Aksu City and dispersed more than 200 people who had tried to gather in nearby Kashgar at the Id Kah Mosque, the largest mosque in China, the news agency said.

Along the road into Kashgar from the airport, many areas were deserted; residents said police had set up blockades in some areas and were rerouting traffic.

The regional public security department put the toll from riots at 156 deaths and more than 800 injuries, according to Xinhua, the state-run news agency."