Initially, the Uyghurs came from Mongolia, but for the last 1,300 years they have been living in a region previously visited by caravans travelling the "Silk Road".

Today, approximately 10 million Uyghurs live in Xinjiang, the most north-western province of China, together with Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Mongols, Uzbeks, Hui and Han Chinese. The very sparsely populated Chinese province of Xinjiang covers 1.65 million km2. Since 1940, there has been a massive influx of Han Chinese immigrants, who now make up over 33 per cent of the population. About half a million Uyghurs live in the neighbouring countries of central Asia, in Pakistan and in Turkey.

The mixing and intermarriage of many peoples living in this region during the past few millennia can be seen in many of the Uyghurs. Some look like Indians, others like Uzbeks, Tajiks or Pashtuns. The Uyghurs originally practised animism and then Buddhism, which spread from India along the Silk Road in the 2nd century BC. Islam arrived in the 7th century, through commercial ties, followed by Islamic teachers. The 8th century saw intensive Islamisation.

Three different types of Uyghurs can be identified:

The first group comprises intellectuals, public servants and political leaders. They are indoctrinated by atheistic teachings, yet many of them follow Islamic cultural traditions.

The second group follows orthodox Islam strictly; some are influenced by Islamic reformation movements, such as Wahhabism. They desire to introduce Islamic sharia law.

The third and largest group is composed of farmers, craftsmen and merchants who are involved in "folk Islam". They use occult practices based on animism and Buddhism for healing, prosperity, successful pregnancies and protection from evil spirits.

History of the Uyghurs

At the beginning of the 7th century, the Nestorians brought Christianity to the Tarim Basin, though no evidence of their efforts remains.

The Uygurs embraced Islam in 934 AD, during the reign of Satuk Bughra Khan. He was the first Turkic ruler who embraced Islam in Central Asia, and instead of temples, mosques were built.

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Map of China

It was only in the 19th century that Russians and Jesuits brought the Orthodox and the Catholic faith to this region, without making any converts. At the beginning of the 20th century, the China Inland Mission in Urumqi and a Swedish mission in Kashgar started working among the Uyghurs, supporting orphanages and doing medical work. In the 1930s, most Christians in Kashgar were killed. Today, there are about 200 Christians among the Uyghurs in China. In neighbouring Kazakhstan, there are possibly 400.

A complete Bible translation in Uyghur became available in 1939. The New Testament has been translated once again, this time into a modern-language version, and a new translation of the Old Testament is under way. The Jesus movie is also available. There are indications for an increasing number of Uyghurs turning to Jesus.

Pray for the Uyghurs in China:

* Pray for the distribution and use of the Jesus film and the newly-translated Uyghur New Testament (Rom 10:17).

* Pray for the Han Chinese churches to proclaim Christ to the Uyghurs living in their areas.

* Pray for the Lord to protect the Uyghur believers in Xinjiang, and empower them for witness among their people (2 Thess 2:17; 3:3).

* Pray that young believers may find Christian marriage partners (Gen 24:12-28).

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