Uyghurs

Why in news?

• The U.S. has  accused China of forcing ethnic Uyghurs, a Muslim minority who live mostly in Western China, into factory and farm jobs against their will.

About Uyghurs:

• The Uyghurs/ Uygurs  or Uighurs, are a minority Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia.
• The Uyghurs have been recognized as native to only one region, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.
• The Uyghurs have traditionally inhabited a series of oases scattered across the Taklamakan Desert comprising the Tarim Basin, a territory which has historically been controlled by many civilizations including China, the Mongols, the Tibetans and the Turkic world.
• The Uyghurs started to become Islamised in the tenth century and became largely Muslim by the 16th century and Islam has since played an important role in Uyghur culture and identity.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Uighur people are an ethnic that primarily reside in the country of:
(a)China
(b)Pakistan
(c)Russia
(d)Turkmenistan

Answer to prelims question