If after reading this article your main concern is that the methods are counterproductive, you have a problem.

So, let them have their qur'ans, let them hate the infidels and strive for an islamic state?

Religious flamewar is not allowed on HN. Please don't post like this again.

It doesn't seem like you needed a Qur'an to form dangerous ideas. Though I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised you know there's an apostrophe that belongs there.

I'd like to bring your attention to the fact that China similarly oppresses the majority-Buddhist population in Tibet. The state's aim is not to achieve whatever lofty goals you might have in mind. They oppress their population to cement their one-party control over the entire population.

Those are your fellow human beings. To jump straight into your line of thinking when reading about their oppression ... I don't know what to say ...

If you are in - is there a reasonable process to appeal your condition? I doubt so.

We can't know for sure whether they are counter-productive - would there be more islamists without the Chinese policy of repression? Would there be more attacks? We can only conjecture.

There probably wouldn't. What perturbs people here about this approach is that it works despite going against the principles of liberal democracy; it's the first time an oppressive regime is not led by dunces, and it's working fine. That, + the fact that most nationals don't really care much about surveillance as long as it helps maintain civility and cohesion.

Its far from the first time, the issue is that when things go wrong those in power can't be replaced.

Even Assad pretends to be fighting terrorists when he oppresses his people. The Chinese aren't even doing that. They're targeting anyone who grew up in a religious household and they aren't even claiming to do it to combat religious extremism. Even if they did claim to be fighting extremism it would still not be appropriate to target such a broad group of people.

I guess this is such a small minority they feel they can oppress them without consequence. I personally fail to see how these people are in any way a threat to the regime and if anything it seems like the regime's actions will make them a bigger threat in the long term.

It's a question of values. The Chinese government places a much higher value on things like social cohesion and modernization than they do on individual liberty.

Taking a minority group and giving them a common experience of oppression at the hand of the party will create social unity but among themselves and not with the party. It might work for awhile. Acceptance of authoritarian rule goes way back in Asia. I don't think it will promote stability in the long term.

Well, maybe. I would certainly like to think so. But I know from the experience of my own ancestors that it’s also possible to alienate people, especially children, from their heritage and forcibly assimilate them into the dominant culture surrounding them.

Curious: where were your ancestors from?

Approximately the region between Quebec and the Midwest, except before they were called by those names :)

I have genealogical and genetic evidence of my American Indian heritage, but wasn’t raised with any of the culture, and neither were my father or grandfather.