By: Maya James
April 20, 2020
Eerily similar to the Bosnian war and eventual genocide, China projects real security threats (violent separatists) onto non-combatants (Uighurs) in the name of state security. However, these perceived security threats are unfounded and used to justify the destruction of sacred spaces before committing genocide.
“The Destruction of Cultural and Religious Sites: A Violation of Human Rights,” UN Office of the High Commissioner, September 24, 2012.
András J. Riedlmayer, “Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1992–1996: A Post-War Survey Of Selected Municipalities,” Expert Report commissioned by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (2002).
Bahram K. Sintash, “Demolishing Faith: The Destruction and Desecration of Uyghur Mosques and Shrines,” Uyghurism.com and Uyghur Human Rights Project (2019).
Martyn Smith, Religion, Culture, and Sacred Space (New York: Palgrave Macmillan,2008).
Alan Taylor, “20 Years Since The Bosnian War,” The Atlantic, April 13, 2012.
Ole Wæver, “Securitization and Desecuritization,” in Ronnie Lipschutz, ed., On Security (New York: Columbia University Press, 1995),46–86.
Maya James (C'20) graduated from Georgetown College in 2020 with a degree in government and minors in both religion, ethics, and world affairs and creative writing. For the fall 2018 semester, she studied in Be'er Sheva, Israel, and blogged for the Junior Year Abroad Network.
