Why should you be opposing the Muslim Ulighurs protest against the Chinese Olympic Games while virtually expressing pity for the Tibetan Buddhists doing the same? It is very important before we proceed further it needs to be mentioned that Ulighurs constitute more than half the population of strife-torn Xinjiang province of China. They are seeking to severe their links with the Dragon land in order to form a separate independent nation of East Turkistan. Their militant outfits use violence as a tool to achieve their objective which is a shame. This is precisely the reason that we are not enamored of them.

How can the killers usurp the right to break a nation? That is the question we often find hard to answer. In fact, a top security expert has revealed that the East Turkistan Islamic Movement is aligned with other militant groups including the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Islamic Jihad Union, the Pakistan Taliban and Al Qaeda and its militants are getting training in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan. This approach is something that shows that they are simply paying a lip service to their professed agenda. In reality they may be pursuing a wider and obnoxious religious plan which is already bothering the world. China is within its rights to decide how to deal with them. It is to be noted that many do not approve of many Chinese tactics either. Its aversion to democracy is appalling and Tiananmen Square in Beijing bears an eloquent testimony of its oppressive mindset. How can also anyone justify the restrictions it has imposed on visits to this blood-stained Square during the duration of the Olympics? This is a different subject, however.

For the moment it is relevant that manner in which Ulighurs and Tibetans function varies. That is why they evoke different responses. The Tibetans are peaceful. They are prepared to settle for an autonomous status within the mainland China which, however, is not ready to lend them a sympathetic ear. Dalai Lama considers peace his only weapon. Andre Gide’s observation aptly applies to him; ‘It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passion, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace.’ Why should not then China be regarded as a villain vis-a-vis Tibetans? Peace cannot be achieved through violence; it can only be attained through understanding. By now the Tibetans have stayed long enough in this country to convince us peace is the means by which they want to reach their goal. Ulighurs, on the other hand, have yet to learn from them. Olympics are the symbol of global unity where people from different countries come together and play a sport representing their country. Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another. This should clear all doubts about our preferences. As for the Olympic Games we want its unhindered passage as is symbolizes global unity.