Uyghur Americans are
Americans
Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...
of
Uyghur ethnicity. Most Uyghurs immigrated from
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...
, China, to the United States from the late 1980s onwards, with a significant number arriving after July 2009.
History
Uyghurs' history in the United States dates back to the 1960s with the arrival of a small number of immigrants. In the late 20th century, after a series of
Xinjiang conflict
The Xinjiang conflict ( zh, c=新疆冲突), also known as the East Turkistan conflict, Uyghur–Chinese conflict or Sino-East Turkistan conflict (as argued by the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile), is an ongoing ethnic geopolitical conf ...
s, more millions of Uyghurs fled from
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...
to Kazakhstan, Turkey, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries and places. A 2010 estimate put the Uyghur population in the United States at more than 8,000, however, the
Uyghur American Association
The Uyghur American Association ( ug, ئامېرىكا ئۇيغۇر جەمئىيىتى, ئامېرىكا ئۇيغۇر بىرلىكى, translit=Amérika Uyghur Birliki, ; zh, s= 维吾尔裔美国人协会, p=Wéiwú'ěryì Měiguórén Xiéhu ...
has said that more have moved to the United States in the 2010s because of the crackdown of
July 2009 Ürümqi riots
The July 2009 Ürümqi riots were a series of violent riots over several days that broke out on 5 July 2009 in Ürümqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), in northwestern China. The first day's rioting, which ...
in China in July 2009. As of 2022, the Uyghur American Association estimates there are about 10,000 Uyghurs in the United States
while the
East Turkistan Government in Exile
The East Turkistan Government-in-Exile ( also known as the Government in Exile of the Republic of East Turkistan; abbreviated ETGE) is a parliamentary-based exile government established and headquartered in Washington, D.C. by Uyghurs, Kazakhs ...
estimates there are between 10,000 and 15,000 Uyghurs in the United States.
Several thousand Uyghurs are said to be living in the
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
area, which has the largest population of Uyghurs in the United States. There are also small populations of Uyghurs in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
,
New York,
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
and
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
.
As for 2019, the Chinese government was reported to have harassed and abused Uyghurs in the United States in an attempt to control the speech and actions of persons of Uyghur ethnicity living in the United States.
Section 8 of the
Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act
The ''Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020'' (S. 3744) is a United States federal law that requires various federal U.S. government bodies to report on human rights abuses by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese government again ...
of 2020 requires a report on "efforts to protect United States citizens and residents, including ethnic Uyghurs and Chinese nationals legally studying or working temporarily in the United States, who have experienced harassment or intimidation within the United States by officials or agents of the Government of the People’s Republic of China" to be produced within 90 days.
Organizations
As with other ethnic groups in the United States, Uyghur Americans also have several organizations. The most well-known organizations are
Uyghur American Association
The Uyghur American Association ( ug, ئامېرىكا ئۇيغۇر جەمئىيىتى, ئامېرىكا ئۇيغۇر بىرلىكى, translit=Amérika Uyghur Birliki, ; zh, s= 维吾尔裔美国人协会, p=Wéiwú'ěryì Měiguórén Xiéhu ...
, a Washington D.C. based advocacy organization which was established in 1998 by a group of Uyghur overseas activists to raise the public awareness of the
Uyghur people
The Uyghurs; ; ; ; zh, s=, t=, p=Wéiwú'ěr, IPA: ( ), alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. The Uyghu ...
, the
East Turkistan National Awakening Movement, a youth led organization which was set up by Uyghur graduate student Salih Hudayar in 2017 and
East Turkistan Government in Exile
The East Turkistan Government-in-Exile ( also known as the Government in Exile of the Republic of East Turkistan; abbreviated ETGE) is a parliamentary-based exile government established and headquartered in Washington, D.C. by Uyghurs, Kazakhs ...
, which was set up by Uyghur activist Anwar Yusuf Turani in 2004.
Notable people
![Pompeo and Turkel cropped 50147793747 f6d8b8c827 o](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Pompeo_and_Turkel_cropped_50147793747_f6d8b8c827_o.jpg)
*
Rushan Abbas
Rushan Abbas ( Uyghur: روشەن ئابباس; Chinese: 茹仙·阿巴斯; born June 14, 1967) is a Uyghur American activist and advocate from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. She is the founder and executive director of the n ...
, activist and vice president of the
Uyghur American Association
The Uyghur American Association ( ug, ئامېرىكا ئۇيغۇر جەمئىيىتى, ئامېرىكا ئۇيغۇر بىرلىكى, translit=Amérika Uyghur Birliki, ; zh, s= 维吾尔裔美国人协会, p=Wéiwú'ěryì Měiguórén Xiéhu ...
*
Rayhan Asat
Rayhan Asat is a Uyghur lawyer and human rights advocate. Since 2020, she has led a public campaign for the release of her brother, Ekpar Asat, who has been held in the Xinjiang internment camp system since 2016, and on behalf of the Uyghurs an ...
, human rights campaigner and lawyer
*
Gulchehra Hoja
Gulchehra "Guli" A. Hoja (born 1973) is a Uyghur–American journalist who has worked for '' Radio Free Asia'' since 2001. In November 2019, Hoja received the Magnitsky Human Rights Award for her reporting on the ongoing human rights crisis in ...
, journalist with ''
Radio Free Asia''
*
Shohret Hoshur
Shoret Hoshur ( ug, شۆھرەت ھوشۇر; born 1965) is an American journalist working for Radio Free Asia. Since fleeing Xinjiang in 1994, he has become known for his reporting on the region.
Life and career
Hoshur is a political émigré fr ...
, journalist with ''
Radio Free Asia''
*
Salih Hudayar, current Prime Minister of the
East Turkistan Government-in-Exile
The East Turkistan Government-in-Exile ( also known as the Government in Exile of the Republic of East Turkistan; abbreviated ETGE) is a parliamentary-based exile government established and headquartered in Washington, D.C. by Uyghurs, Kazakh ...
*
Elnigar Iltebir, Director for China at the
United States National Security Council
The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for consideration of national security, military, and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House, it is part of the Exe ...
*
Rebiya Kadeer, former President of the
World Uyghur Congress
The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) is an international organization of exiled Uyghur groups that claims to "represent the collective interest of the Uyghur people" both inside and outside of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's ...
(resident in the US)
*
Gulimina Mahamuti, pianist
*
Shoukhrat Mitalipov, stem cell researcher
*Maya Mitalipova, work at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT
*
Anwar Yusuf Turani, political activist
*
Nury Turkel, commissioner on the
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the lead ...
*
Mihrigul Tursun, former detainee in the
Xinjiang re-education camps
The Xinjiang internment camps, officially called vocational education and training centers ( zh, 职业技能教育培训中心, Zhíyè jìnéng jiàoyù péixùn zhōngxīn) by the government of China, are internment camps operated by ...
See also
*
East Turkistan National Awakening Movement
*
East Turkistan Government-in-Exile
The East Turkistan Government-in-Exile ( also known as the Government in Exile of the Republic of East Turkistan; abbreviated ETGE) is a parliamentary-based exile government established and headquartered in Washington, D.C. by Uyghurs, Kazakh ...
*
List of Uyghurs
References
{{Asian Americans
Central Asian American
Uyghur diaspora