We all know that only greasy Islamophobes link Islam with terrorism, and that doing so is part of a worldwide Islamophobic movement unaccountably dedicated to misrepresenting a peaceful religion.
The only problem with that narrative, which is the understanding of the dominant mainstream, is that Islamic jihadis keep exploding it (so to speak).
“Islamist group claims Urumqi bombing,” The Guardian, May 14, 2014:
An Islamist militant group called the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) claimed responsibility for a bomb attack at a train station in China’s western city of Urumqi in late April that killed one person and injured 79, the Site Monitoring service said.
China had said the attack in its restive Xinjiang region, home to the Muslim Uighur ethnic group, was carried out by two religious extremists who were killed in the blast.
Site, which tracks Islamist militant statements, said TIP had released a 10-minute video in the Uighur language showing the construction of a briefcase bomb it said was used in the station attack.
“A fighter is shown placing the explosive material and shrapnel of bolts inside a box, then inserting the detonation device in a briefcase with the explosive, and leaving the trigger exposed in an outside pocket,” Site said of the video.
It said the video had been produced by the TIP’s Islam Awazi Media Centre and posted on its website on 11 May.
Beijing says it faces a threat from militant Islamists in Xinjiang who want an independent state called East Turkestan. Authorities say many have links with foreign groups, although rights groups and some foreign experts say there is little evidence to support this.
The TIP, which China equates with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), keeps a low profile in Pakistan. Unlike the Taliban, it rarely posts videos promoting its activities or ideology. Its exact size is unknown and some experts dispute its ability to orchestrate attacks in China, or that it exists at all as a cohesive group.
In a rare interview with Reuters in March, Abdullah Mansour, who says he is the leader of the Turkistan Islamic Party, said it was his holy duty to fight the Chinese.
China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she had not seen the video, but believed it might further bolster China’s position on separatist groups. “Some violent extremist terrorist groups have now emerged. They are colluding with foreign groups and are attempting violent activities in Xinjiang and other areas in China intended to destroy China’s national policy and social stability,” Hua said at a regular press briefing.
“We hope that everyone can recognise the goal of these violent groups and support the Chinese government’s will to crack down on all violent terrorist activities and preserve safety for people and society,” she said….
Not likely. The international media is relentlessly skeptical about the jihad in China — as always, it is more sympathetic to the jihadis than to those who resist them.