Uyghur women make traditional braids in the Grape Valley scenic spot in Turpan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, on August 28, 2012, during a cultural festival. Photo: IC

After police began to probe an October 28 terrorist attack which struck at Tiananmen Square - the heart of Beijing - and killed two tourists as well as the three people suspected of intentionally driving their jeep into the crowd, one of China's 55 ethnic minority groups has come under the spotlight.

The vehicle was registered with a plate from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, home to the Uyghur ethnic minority - which is believed to be the ethnicity of the three suspects. Five other suspects have also been detained.

The incident has put further pressure on Uyghurs around the country, who often feel isolated from other Chinese citizens due to linguistic and cultural barriers as well as prejudice. A post from a Sina Weibo account of a Uyghur from Xinjiang summarized the problem on Friday: "The attack at Tiananmen Square will lead to more inspections of people and vehicles from Xinjiang. It is necessary to maintain social stability. I appeal to my fellow people from Xinjiang to keep a peaceful mind when you are traveling away from home. I also call for people from other parts of the country not to harbor prejudice against us."

The post's author, Aliya Mutallip, emphasized that Xinjiang is not only home to beautiful scenic spots but more importantly, it breeds warmhearted people, when contacted by the Global Times. But it's not always easy for people from Xinjiang, who are scattered around China.

Aliya still remembers the mistrust and fear in people's eyes, and how others clutched their purses and wallets, on one occasion when he got on the bus.

Now he fears that the attack in Beijing will widen the division between Uyghurs and Han, the ethnic majority group in the country.

Attack on the heart of China 

Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun stressed during a Monday inspection tour in Beijing that police forces must prevent violence when it is still in the "premeditation stage" and learn a lesson from the attack.

In addition to the five killed, which included a tourist from Guangdong Province and one from the Philippines, 40 others were injured.

Police said they found "gasoline, two knives and iron sticks as well as a flag with extremist religious content" in the charred vehicle, and that a similar flag and knives were found at the temporary residence of the detained suspects.

In the wake of the incident, the authorities are stressing counter-terrorism, and Beijing's Party chief Guo Jinlong said over the weekend that police and security should "look for vulnerable links" and build their capacity for intelligence gathering. Guo also asked central districts to improve their supervision of rented housing and strengthen management over migrants, especially those who "move suddenly," the Beijing Daily reported.

Together but apart

Uyghurs, and those with a resemblance to Uyghurs, are now coming under increased scrutiny. "I think they may be targeting people from Xinjiang and I happen to look like one with my mustache," a Beijing local surnamed Wang told the Global Times, in comments echoed online by people who reported being stopped and asked to show their IDs.

Booking into hotels is often tougher for Uyghurs, who have to provide more documents. A Uyghur student in Dalian, Liaoning Province, who goes by the name Alimjian, said that his Uyghur identity got him rejected from a hotel in Shanghai during the National Day holidays in October. "The manager said it required a complex registration procedure to accommodate people from Xinjiang. Most of the time, they just reject us to avoid the hassle. I think people are prejudiced against us because they don't know us well," Alimjian said.

Aygul, a girl from Urumqi, experienced similar traveling troubles due to her ethnicity. "I'm also proud of the country, and we don't want to be labeled because of a few black sheep. Dignity and equality are all we want," she told the Global Times.

Uyghur vendors often have mixed relations with the public and authorities. An Shanghai resident surnamed Xu told the Global Times that urban management officers seemed to be less harsh on the Uyghur vendors who congregated in her neighborhood, and said he believed it was because they were worried they had to be sensitive toward Uyghurs.

"I rarely have my ID checked and I am OK with the inspections," Abdul Niyaz (pseudonym), a Uyghur vendor, told the Global Times, adding that he is aware of prejudice against Uyghurs, but said it may be due to "light-fingered Uyghur" in other provinces.

Despite government attempts to stress harmony among ethnic groups, this perception seems common among Han people in Beijing. Those contacted by the Global Times associated Uyghurs with theft, with some citing instances where they had cellphones or money stolen. When asked how he was sure the thieves were from Xinjiang, one Beijing resident, surnamed Wu, said, "It is obvious that they are from Xinjiang. Just look at their beard or mustache and they have deep eyeholes. I don't discriminate but I just feel I should stay away from them."

Tensions are highest in Xinjiang, where a number of violent incidents over the past few years have resulted in swift measures by authorities. A violent clash between terrorists and authorities, which broke out on April 23 in Kashi Prefecture, left 21 people dead. Another riot in Turpan killed 27 people, including 10 rioters on June 26. On July 5, 2009, riots in Urumqi left 197 people dead and more than 1,600 injured.

But the incident in Tiananmen Square proves the capital is not immune to these tensions. Media reported that in one case in April, the Central University for Nationalities in Beijing resorted to housing Uyghurs and Han people in different dorms after a Uyghur student was assaulted.

When the Global Times asked Alimjian whether he was aware of the incident, he said that it had been discussed in the Uyghur community, but most Uyghurs believed it was just a fight between students.

Moving forward

Ibrahim Ma Xiaozhi, a Muslim scholar from Xinjiang, told the Global Times that the prejudice is a result of the lack of knowledge of Xinjiang among the public in other parts of China and it is likely that it may become even harder to bridge this gap after the attack at Tiananmen.

"It should be noted that the evildoers do not represent tens of thousands of people in Xinjiang. We must avoid linking terrorism to particular regions and harming their reputations," Ibrahim said.