DECLARATION OF THE SOVIET CENTRAL GOVERNMENT TO THE MOSLEM PEOPLE
25 May 1936
[Text] Dear Moslem brothers:
The second imperialist world war to redivide the colonies will soon break
out. The people and land of China's five races are cut away in large
sections by Japanese imperialism, which is now advancing toward Suiyuan,
Ninghsia, Kansu, and Sinkiang. The calamity of the destruction of your
roots and extermination of your race is imminent. Will you resign to
destruction and division by others, or will you rise and fight and strive
for the independence and freedom of the Moslems? The glory of the recovery
of the Turkish Moslems will serve as the compass to all the Moslems and
all the oppressed nations. At this critical moment, we hope you will rise
up immediately!

The Moslems suffered the oppression and exploitation of China's ruling
class in the past decade or more, especially the harsh levies and
vexatious taxes of Chiang Kai-shek's Nanking government, which made the
life of the Moslems unbearable. The Nanking government also frequently
provoked ill feelings between the Moslems and the Chinese, to the extent
of mutual slaughtering. It would then send troops to suppress them,
causing the Moslem and Chinese people to lose all their energy, in order
to benefit its cruel and greedy regime. In the past several years, the
Kuomintang warlords headed by traitor Chiang Kai-shek recklessly capitulated to Japanese imperialism and attempted to sell all the interests of
the Chinese people. With the fall of the four northeast provinces, the
loss of the five North China provinces in fact if not in name, and the
activity of the autonomy movement of southern Fukien, the Nanking government has now designated the four northwest provinces as an "anticommunist"
zone. The entry of the Nanking troops into Kansu is the major step to
destroy the northwest and suppress the independence movement of the
Moslems, Mongolians, and Tibetans.

The Chinese People's Soviet Government and the People's Red Army Resist-Japan Vanguard Army have always considered the resistance of imperialism,

especially Japanese imperialism, and the thorough liberation of the
Chinese nation and other small and weak nations their fundamental tasks.
As the eastward march of the Vanguard Army against Japan is blocked by
traitor Chiang Kai-shek, they feel that consolidating the rear defense,
developing the resist-Japan base, and rallying all people and nations
unwilling to become stateless slaves, primarily the minorities of the
Northwest, in order to prepare for direct confrontation with Japan, are
more important. Therefore, the westward march of the resist-Japan People's Red Army is not only a necessary step in the practical preparation
against Japan, but also an excellent opportunity for the independence and
liberation of the Mongolians, Moslems, and other small and weak minorities, especially the Moslems. Therefore, we solemnly declare to the
Moslem people:

1. According to the principle of national self-determination, we advocate that the affairs of the Moslems must be completely handled by the
Moslems themselves, that, in all Moslem areas, the Moslems must establish
their independent and autonomous political power and handle all the
political, economic, religious, custom, ethical, educational, and other
matters, and that, in all areas where the Moslems constitute a minority,
under the principle of national equality, the Moslems, with the district,
township, and village as the units, must manage their own affairs and
establish their own government.

2. According to the principle of the freedom of religion, we will protect
Mohammedanism and the Ahongs and guarantee the absolute freedom of belief
of the Moslems.

3. Armament is an indispensable condition of an independent and autonomous
nation. We wish to rally all armed strengths of the Moslems and to help
and develop them. We wish to arm the Moslems and form an independent
"Moslem Resist-Japan Army." We hope that the Moslem armed forces will
become one of the major strengths in the Resist-Japan Allied Army.

4. Abolish all the harsh levies and vexatious taxes imposed by the warlords, bureaucrats, and militia; improve the life of the Moslems.

5. Protect the Moslem language; develop the culture and education of the
Moslems; start Moslem newspapers; raise the Moslem political and cultural
levels.

6. The Moslems and Chinese must unite closely to knock down Japanese
imperialism and the spies and traitors.

7. Form an alliance with Turkey, Outer Mongolia, the Soviet Union, and
other nations and states sympathetic with China's endeavor for the
thorough liberation of all races and resist Japan together.

Dear Moslem brothers! Now is the time when the small and weak nations
rise up and struggle for survival and strive for thorough liberation.
You are situated between the already liberated Soviet Union, Outer
Mongolia, and Turkey and the Chinese Soviet Red Army in the process of
liberation. As long as you will become aware and rise up and struggle,
victory will be yours. It is solemnly declared.

Mao Tse-tung, Chairman of the Central Government of the
Soviet People's Republic of China
25 May 1936

"Struggle," No 105, 12 July 1936