[QODLink]
People & Power
Islam in China
A look at the Georgia-Russia conflict and Chinese concerns over Islamic separatists.
Last Modified: 19 Aug 2008 13:19 GMT

The conflict between Georgia and Russia has rendered thousands homeless [AFP]

People & Power looks at the conflict between Georgia and Russia with Steve LeVine, the chief foreign affairs writer for Business Week and the author of The Oil and the Glory: The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea and Putin's Labyrinth, and Zeyno Baran, the director of the Centre for Eurasian Policy at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC.

They both share their views on the conflict, what it means for the West and what the future holds for both countries.

Watch Conflict in the Caucasus

Islam in China

With the world watching, the Chinese government is desperate to present an image of a unified, peaceful nation.

With terrorism posing the greatest threat to the Olympic games, the Chinese government has gone into security overdrive.

Top of their list of suspects is the Turkistan Islamic Party, a radical separatist movement that is listed as a terrorist organisation by the US government. 

It seeks independence for the province of Xinjiang, along China's Central Asian frontier.

Increased tension is being felt throughout the country, but especially by the 20 million practicing Muslims. 

Islam is still re-establishing itself in China under Beijing's watchful eye, and decades have been spent building up a fragile trust with the Communist central government. 

The film profiles two key imams who walk a fine line between their followers and the political authorities. 

Watch Islam in China

This episode of People & Power aired from Saturday, August 16, 2008

To contact us click on 'Send your feedback' at the top of the page

Watch Al Jazeera English programmes on YouTube

Join our Your Views debates

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/peopleandpower

Source:
Al Jazeera
Topics in this article
Country
Featured on Al Jazeera
An unflinching portrait of physical labour in the 21st century.
The stark choice between a fascist or an imperialist course in Syria should be discarded for a third and better course.
Israel's propaganda machine carefully chooses its words to assert illegal ownership over Jerusalem and Palestine.
As Western fears grow over Iran's continuing nuclear programme, we ask how a military strike could impact the region.
<  > 
join our mailing list

Enter Zip Code
Go