Opening Remarks at the Uyghur Post Launch Panel at George Washington University, November 20, 2025
I am very honored to be here today for the launch of the Uyghur Post.
In recent years, Uyghur language media and publications have been under assault in the Uyghur homeland. Uyghur books and other publications have been banned and destroyed, Uyghur language has been all but eliminated from the Chinese dominant school-curriculum, and Uyghur language websites have been shut down. To add to this assault on Uyghur language and literature in China, the US government’s recent decision to defund US-based Uyghur language media outlets such as Radio Free Asia and Voice of America serves to further silence the Uyghur language, culture, and people. Why does this matter?
Among other things, Uyghur-language print and media play a crucial role in:
- Promoting Uyghur cultural resilience
- Educating Uyghurs in diaspora and preserving identity
- Reporting on the Uyghur people under Chinese rule
- Providing trustworthy information to researchers, advocates, and policymakers
I am particularly excited that the Uyghur Post is an internet-based initiative developed by and for the Uyghur community in diaspora. The internet is intrinsically connected to issues of language and cultural identity. As language is the central channel for spreading cultural information, internet resources in local languages can empower speakers of these languages by enabling them to display their own way of life and voice their concerns and issues in their mother tongue. The internet therefore allows a people to cultivate and assert their own cultural identity and values and concerns, rather than have their identity and values shaped by others.
Without the Uyghur voice, we are left with only the Chinese government’s narrative about who Uyghurs are, which tells us that Uyghurs are living happily within China’s borders. And we know that isn’t the full story. For these reasons, the launch of the Uyghur Post is a timely and necessary contribution to the Uyghur community. The potential for the global reach of the internet also ensures a broad audience for the Uyghur Post, which can reach the many Uyghur diaspora communities based around the world. I have no doubt it will also become a valuable global resource for scholars and policymakers.
