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The '''Uighur''' (pronounced wē-gu̇r) ethnic group is a [[Turkic]] ethnic group originally from the [[Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region]] in [[China]]. The Uighurs practice [[Islam]].
The '''Uighur''' (pronounced wē-gu̇r) ethnic group is a [[Turkic]] ethnic group originally from the [[Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region]] in [[China]]. The Uighurs practice [[Islam]].
==2009==
In July 2009 large scale rioting has erupted as Uighurs fight the Chinese army in China's western Xinjiang province. Over 140 people are dead. Chinese officials blamed Rebiya Kadeer, a Uighur businesswoman who was jailed for years in China before being released into exile in the US where she now heads the World Uighur Congress, for "masterminding" the unrest. Exiled Uighurs blame Chinese repression. Uighurs are angry at political, cultural and religious persecution as well as the apparent growing presence in the region of Han Chinese - China's main ethnic group.
==History==
==History==