What causes radicalisation? Voices of Uyghur Muslims in Canada

Authors

  • Dilmurat Mahmut McGill University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15664/jtr.1614

Keywords:

Muslim Uyghur immigrants, Radicalisation, Terrorism, Muslim identity, Islamophobia, Education in Canada, Orientalism, Agency

Abstract

Uyghurs, as a group, have been targeted recently by the Chinese government as possible terrorists. Against such a background, this article discusses the perspectives of twelve Muslim Uyghur immigrants in Canada on the possible causes of radicalisation. They vehemently rejected the idea that the Islamic faith was a push factor behind the radicalisation of Uyghurs. For them, the oppressive political climate in China was the only culprit. While their voices regarding radicalised Canadians reveal their misrepresented Muslim identity, they also demonstrate a strong resistance to the official Chinese narratives around Uyghur radicalisation. Their postcolonial voices in Canada turn into agency in the context of China.

 

Author Biography

Dilmurat Mahmut, McGill University

Dr Dilmurat Mahmut (Maihemuti Dilimulati) is a research assistant at the School of Religious Studies, McGill University. His research interests include Muslim identity in the West, equity and education, education and violent extremism, and immigrant integration in Canada and beyond. Currently, he is studying the identity reconstruction experiences of Uyghur immigrants in Canada.

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Published

2022-03-24

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023): Contemporary Voices

Section

Articles

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