Myndigheter förbjuder ”abnorma” skägg i Xinjiang

The Uyghurs (/uːˈiːɡərz, ˈwiːɡərz/; Uyghur: ئۇيغۇر, Уйғур‎, ULY: Uyghur  [ʔʊjˈʁʊː]) are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, where they are one of 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities. They primarily practice Islam, and are a physically diverse ethnic group ranging from Western Eurasian (Europeans, Middle Eastern) to a more East Asian appearance. An estimated 80% of Xinjiang's Uyghurs live in the southwestern portion of the region, the Tarim Basin. Outside Xinjiang, the largest community of Uyghurs in China is in Taoyuan County, in south-central Hunan. Outside of China, significant diasporic communities of Uyghurs exist in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and in Turkey. Smaller communities are found in Afghanistan, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Xinjiang (Uyghur: شىنجاڭ‎, ULY: Shinjang; Mandarin pronunciation: [ɕíntɕjɑ́ŋ]; Chinese: 新疆; pinyin: Xīnjiāng), officially the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is a provincial-level autonomous region of China in the northwest of the country. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and the 8th largest country subdivision in the world, spanning over 1.6 million km2 (0.64 million square miles). It contains the disputed territory of Aksai Chin, which is administered by China. Xinjiang borders the countries of Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The rugged Karakoram, Kunlun, and Tian Shan mountain ranges occupy much of Xinjiang's borders, as well as its western and southern regions.East Turkistan )شەرقىي تۇركىستان) also borders Tibet Autonomous Region and the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai. The most well-known route of the historical Silk Road ran through the territory from the east to its northwestern border. In recent decades, abundant oil and mineral reserves have been found in Xinjiang, and it is currently China's largest natural gas-producing region. It is home to a number of ethnic groups, including the Han, Kazakhs, Tajiks, Hui, Uyghur, Kyrgyz, Mongols, and Russians. More than a dozen autonomous prefectures and counties for minorities are in Xinjiang. Older English-language reference works often refer to the area as Eastern Turkistan and "Chinese Turkestan". Xinjiang is divided into the Dzungarian Basin in the north and the Tarim Basin in the south by a mountain range. Only about 4.3% of Xinjiang's land area is fit for human habitation. With a documented history of at least 2,500 years, a succession of peoples and empires have vied for control over all or parts of this territory. The territory came under the rule of the Manchu Qing dynasty in the 18th century, however it wasn't fully integrated into the Manchu Qing dynasty until 1884 when it was named "Xinjiang" meaning the 'new territory' which was later replaced by the First East Turkistan Republic with brief periods of Republic of China government occupation. In 1944, the region once again became briefly independent, being known as the Second East Turkistan Republic. Since 1949, it has been part of the People's Republic of China following the Chinese PLA invasion of East Turkistan. In 1954, Xinjiang Bingtuan was set up to strengthen the border defense against the Soviet Union, and also to colonize the region using the pretext of promoting the local economy, when in reality all the fertile and mineral rich areas was placed directly under Chinese control. In 1955, Xinjiang was turned into a autonomous region from a province. In the last decades, there have been tensions regarding Xinjiang's political status and dissident groups are active in exile. Amnesty International said that activists in Xinjiang have been arrested and tortured.