Al Qaeda Goes to China

Adam Parsons · Jul 28, 2004

This is just an odd idea that's been rattling around my head, but is there any way, between 1985 and 2004, for a Islamic Fundamentalist terror organization like Al Qaeda to be operating in the People's Republic of China?

If it happened, this group could quite easily tap into popular resentment. The Muslims in western China and the central goverenment don't always see eye to eye.

Thoughts?

Tyr · Jul 28, 2004

China wouldn't have the same restrictions on fighting terrorists that we have in the west, it would be able to sort them out quite easily without the rest of the world knowing of it, this is cold war China and not the new opening up China.

Xen · Jul 28, 2004

I thought something along these lines, maybe a POD where a conservative turns China back into a true communist nation in the early 1980's and attempts to replace the USSR as the leading communist nation. They replace Russia as Cuba's main partner, and attempt to prop up Afghanistans communist regime after the Soviets leave. They even veto any UN resolution that would let the west take action against Saddam for invading Kuwait. Iraq becomes a major Chinese ally and its number one oil trading partner. Al Queda views China as more of a threat than the west and sets its sights on them.

aktarian · Jul 29, 2004

Dictatorships seldom (if ever) experience massive terrorism. A bomb here and there but nothing big.

Duncan · Jul 29, 2004

Alasdair Czyrnyj said:
This is just an odd idea that's been rattling around my head, but is there any way, between 1985 and 2004, for a Islamic Fundamentalist terror organization like Al Qaeda to be operating in the People's Republic of China?

It appears that you don't need an ATL for this:

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/Travel/china030224_uighur.html

Coriolanus · Jul 29, 2004

You know, in Command and Conquer: Generals, there is a war of sorts between terrorists and China, along with the USA finding itself in the conflict.

As for an AH, I'd have to say that China being more involved in the MidEast. I like the previous poster's idea of an Iraq-China link...I could see Saudi Arabia and China becoming closer, maybe if China gets worried about oil.

Grey Wolf · Jul 29, 2004

From my experience at the bank, one of my jobs was to search the customer databases for prescribed organisations or individuals. Closest we ever got was some carpet shop owner in West Ham with an unfortunate name. Anyway, one of the many Islamic groups was something like the Mujahadeen of Chinese Turkestan, meaning militant Uighurs. If you look these guys up in the news on the net you will find that they HAVE been waging a kind of terror war in Sinkiang, which is why China is so hard on these guys. Well, they basically Dostumise them, round em up and kill them. The US quite likes that anyway so doesn't make a fuss. And as its in no one's interest to publicise the Islamic militants, you hear little

Grey Wolf

LordKalvan · Jul 29, 2004

Red China has always had a preferential relation with Iran, since the Islamic Revolution. Always in the "Chinese way", without too much fuss, and looking at results. This makes it very unlikely that China may go for a strategic alliance with Iraq, or even propping the communist regime in Afghanistan. I would not exaggerate too much the unrest in the Western Moslem provinces of China. Once again, Chinese (not only the present ones, but also the historical Chinese) have been good in keeping "barbarians" under control (for "barbarian" I mean a non-Han, non-Confucian population)

Grey Wolf · Jul 29, 2004

LordKalvan said:
Red China has always had a preferential relation with Iran, since the Islamic Revolution. Always in the "Chinese way", without too much fuss, and looking at results. This makes it very unlikely that China may go for a strategic alliance with Iraq, or even propping the communist regime in Afghanistan. I would not exaggerate too much the unrest in the Western Moslem provinces of China. Once again, Chinese (not only the present ones, but also the historical Chinese) have been good in keeping "barbarians" under control (for "barbarian" I mean a non-Han, non-Confucian population)

Wow you need to study the 1850s, 1860s and 1870s

Sure, imperial China WON but at what cost ?

Grey Wolf
off to bed

Adam Parsons · Jul 31, 2004

Coriolanus said:
You know, in Command and Conquer: Generals, there is a war of sorts between terrorists and China, along with the USA finding itself in the conflict.

Yes, that's where I got the basic idea from.

Brilliantlight · Aug 1, 2004

Grey Wolf said:
If you look these guys up in the news on the net you will find that they HAVE been waging a kind of terror war in Sinkiang, which is why China is so hard on these guys. Well, they basically Dostumise them, round em up and kill them. The US quite likes that anyway so doesn't make a fuss. And as its in no one's interest to publicise the Islamic militants, you hear little

Grey Wolf

Best thing to do to Islamic militants. Dead Islamic militants can't cause problems.