NCJ Number
202379
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 47 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2003 Pages: 568-584
Editor(s)
George B. Palermo M.D.
Date Published
October 2003
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article provides a case study analysis of the terrorist organization, Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement in China.
Abstract
The Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) was designated a financier of terrorism in 2002, and is currently active in the Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region in China. With little research on the terrorist organization, this article provides an analysis of the ETIM; its historical evolution, related religious and ethnic issues, organizational agenda, activities; and its role in the current international terrorist network. It also examines ETIM’s connection with al-Qaeda, as well as countermeasures in reducing ETIM’s influence in Central Asian countries and China. Information for this study came primarily from three sources: (1) interviews were conducted with faculty members in the Anti-Terrorism Division in a criminal justice university; (2) two informal focused group discussions were conducted with local Chinese officials to determine their knowledge and perception of ETIM; and (3) retrieval of existing records from various Internet Web sites and newspaper articles in both Chinese and English. There needs to an increased public awareness of the nature of the ETIM, and it is very important for Central Asian countries and China to allow the practice of Islam and to institute reforms that would eradicate the ETIM in the region. Appendix A and B and references