China: Uighur Scholar Detained - NYTimes.com A Uighur scholar known for his criticism of the discrimination against Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group, has been detained by the police, his wife said Thursday. The scholar, Ilham Tohti, a professor at Minzu University of China, was taken into custody when 30 to 40 police officers raided his Beijing apartment on Wednesday, said his wife, Guzaili Nu'er. Mr. Tohti, 44, has been one of a few intellectuals willing to speak publicly about what critics call shortcomings in the Communist Party's management of the Uighur homeland in northwest China. A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, said at a regular news briefing on Thursday that Mr. Tohti had been "suspected of breaking the law," Reuters reported.