By Tahir Imin Uyghurian
A Tradition of Knowledge and Faith
There has been a respected tradition among educated and culturally rooted Uyghurs to give books as gifts, especially when someone sets out on a journey. I personally witnessed this practice in both the southern and northern parts of the Uyghur homeland. It wasn’t just about giving an object—it was a way of passing on knowledge, values, and love for culture.
Recently, I came across an old but meaningful example of this custom.
I found a handwritten dedication dated July 5, 1984, inside a book titled The Alphabet of Uyghur Writing and the Spelling Rules of Uyghur Literary Language, published just a couple of months earlier, on May 18, 1984, by the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Ethnic Language and Writing Work Committee—capturing the essence of this tradition. The book was a gift from Abdirim Mammatniyaz, a teacher at Shayar County’s Gulbagh Village Primary School, to Riqip Haji Aka, a man embarking on the sacred Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
The note, simple yet profound, reads:
To Riqip Haji Aka (brother):
As you prepare to journey to the Great House of God (Baytullah), I wish to present you this book as a gift.
Please accept this simple offering.
— Abdirim Mammatniyaz, teacher of Shayar County, Gulbagh Village Primary School
July 5, 1984, Thursday
This book and note, though simple, carry deep meaning when seen through the lens of Uyghur history and the changes that followed. Though only 41 years have passed since 1984, the transformation of Uyghur life has been so dramatic that this note reads like a message from another world entirely.
A Fleeting Moment of Freedom
The early 1980s marked a brief window of cultural revival for Uyghurs. After the Cultural Revolution’s harsh restrictions, the Chinese government began to loosen controls, allowing limited expressions of religion, language, and identity. In 1982, the Uyghur Arabic script, sidelined for decades in favor of Latinized or Pinyin-based scripts, was officially reinstated.
During this period, Uyghurs could once again undertake the Hajj, albeit under strict government quotas. Riqip Haji, likely a trusted religious figure, was among the fortunate few permitted to make this sacred journey. Similarly, Uyghur-language education still existed, with teachers like Abdirim Mammatniyaz working in village schools to pass on linguistic knowledge to the next generation. Books on Uyghur language and culture could be published, purchased, and gifted. The teacher’s choice of gift—a book on Uyghur orthography—bridged the sacred and the secular, linking the pilgrim’s spiritual journey to the preservation of cultural heritage. It was a quiet but powerful act of faith in both God and the Uyghur language.
The Choice of Book: Language as a Sacred Bond
Why would a teacher gift a book on the Uyghur language alphabet to someone going on the Hajj?
In 1982, China abolished the Soviet-influenced, Chinese Pinyin-based “Uyghur New Script” and reinstated the Arabic-based Uyghur script—a policy led by the Xinjiang Ethnic Language and Writing Committee—which left many people illiterate. In response, Uyghur intellectuals began learning and promoting the new script to bridge the gap and spread knowledge and literacy. The book was more than a guide to spelling—it symbolized Uyghur identity, language, cultural awakening, and the sacred bond between language and faith. By gifting it to a religious leader on a pilgrimage to Mecca, the teacher honored the Uyghur language as both a cultural treasure and a spiritual companion, reflecting a time when Uyghur religious and intellectual circles were united by shared heritage—before state repression fractured those connections.
Harmony Between Faith and Learning
In 1984, Uyghur society still enjoyed a natural harmony between its religious and intellectual spheres. At the time, the relationship between religious figures and intellectuals was not strained. There was no rigid separation between the “religious” and “secular” as would later be imposed by Chinese authorities.
Teachers and imams, united by a shared commitment to their people’s history and language, worked in tandem. The term “Aka” (brother) in the note reflects this bond—a mutual respect that transcended roles. Gifting a linguistic text to a pilgrim was not just common; it was a beautiful affirmation of the unity between faith and knowledge.
A Vanished World
In the 41 years since that summer day in 1984, the Uyghur homeland has undergone a devastating transformation. The freedoms of that era have been systematically erased:
- The Hajj is forbidden: Uyghurs can no longer travel to Mecca, with passports confiscated and religious travel criminalized.
- Uyghur books are banned: Works on language, culture, and history have been removed from circulation, their possession often leading to detention.
- Religious leaders are silenced: Most Uyghur imams and scholars have been detained, imprisoned, or disappeared in mass internment campaigns.
- Language teachers are suppressed: Educators who once taught in Uyghur are now forced to use Chinese or face punishment, with many detained for preserving their mother tongue.
The organic connections between faith and learning, once embodied in a teacher’s simple gift, have been shattered by surveillance, repression, and ideology. What was once a cherished tradition—gifting a book for a sacred journey—has become a dangerous act.
Note: The image of the handwritten dedication was shared by Uyghur Kitap on social media in May 2025.
An advanced edition of the book was later published by the Xinjiang People’s Publishing House.
The book is accessible at here. According to observers, copies of the book were subsequently removed from bookstores and confiscated.
The article was published by the Uyghur Freedom Institute and is used here with the permission of the UFI.
