page_title: Mahmut Muhiti
section_title: Life in exile
hierarchical_section_title: Mahmut Muhiti / Life in exile
caption_attribution_description: English: Leader of the Islamic rebellion in south Xinjiang Abdu Niyaz with his soldiers
context_page_description: Mahmut Muhiti, nicknamed Shizhang, was an Uyghur warlord from Xinjiang. He was a commander of the insurgents led by Khoja Niyaz during the Kumul Rebellion against the Xinjiang provincial authorities. After Hoya-Niyaz and Sheng Shicai, the newly appointed ruler of Xinjiang, formed peace, Muhiti was briefly appointed by Sheng a Military Commander of the Kashgar region in 1934, but was soon demoted and appointed commander of the 6th Division, composed of Turkic Muslims and named Deputy Military Commander of the Kashgar region. Muhiti opposed Sheng's close ties with the Soviet Union forming opposition to his regime in Kashgar. He organised the Islamic rebellion against Sheng in 1937 and fled to British India. Muhiti was afterwards active in the Japanese-occupied China, fruitlessly cooperating with Japan in order to enhance the cooperation between Japan and Muslims, dying in Beijing.
context_section_description: Muhiti left for British India on April 2 1937, crossing into Ladakh and by-passing the Karakoram Pass by going up the Karakash River and to Aksai Chin and then following the road through Chang La arrived in Leh, where he turned up on 27 April. Around four weeks later he arrived in Srinagar. He went on pilgrimage to Mecca in January 1938.
  After Muhiti's flight, a coalition between Hoja-Niyaz and Sheng broke up. A new rebellion started in Kashgar led by the two of Muhiti's officers Kichik Akhund and 'Abd al-Niyas and supported by Dungans of the 36th Division, now commanded by Ma Hushan. The revolt was Islamic in its nature.
  Abdul Niyaz succeeded Muhiti and was proclaimed a general. Niyaz took Yarkand and moved towards Kashgar, eventually capturing it. Those with pro-Soviet inclinations were executed and thus new Muslim administration was established. Simultaneously, the uprising spread amongst the Kirghiz near Kucha and Hami. After capturing Kashgar, Niyaz's forces started to move towards Karashar, receiving assistance from the local population along the way.
  In order to jointly fight against the Soviets and Chinese, Niyaz and Ma Hushan signed a secret agreement on 15 May. Ma Hushan used the opportunity and moved from Khotan to take over Kashgar from the rebels in June, as promulgated by the agreement. However, 5,000 Soviet troops, including airborne and armoured vehicles were marching towards southern Xinjiang on Sheng's invitation along with Sheng's forces and Dungan troops.
  The Turkic rebels were defeated and Kashgar retaken. After the defeat of the Turkic rebels, the Soviets also stopped maintaining the 36th Division. Ma Hushan's administration collapsed. By October 1937, along with the collapse of the Turkic rebellion and the Tungan satrapy, the Muslim control over the southern part of the province ended. Soon afterwards, Yulbars Khan troops in Hami were also defeated ( upon starting of Rebellion of 6th Uyghur Division  in Kashgar in  April 1937 rebels appealed to Yulbars Khan to cut off communications between Xinjiang and China through Kumul or Hami). Thus, Sheng became the ruler of the whole province for the first time.
  The uprising was crushed after the Soviet intervention. Ma Hushan also escaped to British India after the rebellion was defeated. The presence of Muhiti and Ma Hushan in British India was interpreted as evidence of British interference in Xinjiang politics, which led to Chinese closing off the two main trade offices in India, in Gilgit and Leh.Trade office in Leh, which with years lost its importance, remained closed, while in Gilgit was soon reopened.
  After arriving in British India, Muhiti left for Mecca, Saudi Arabia and was reported to be in Japan in 1940, where he founded the Independence Society, which had a goal of establishing East Turkestan, opposed both to the Soviet Union and China. Muhiti once again gained the Japanese confidence for cooperation in early 1939. The next year he went to China, ending an extensive tour there in Suiyuan Province (present Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China) in October 1940. While in China, Muhiti promoted a pan-Muslim movement under the auspices of the Japan-Islam society, previously established in Tokyo. The goal of the society was cultural and economic cooperation between Japan and Muslims. Muhiti planned to establish the Xinjiang Uyghur Society, seated in Tokyo with its branches all across Inner Asia. However, the Japanese support for Muhiti was fruitless.
  Muhiti died in the Japanese-occupied Beijing in 1944 from a brain hemorrhage, and is buried in a Muslim cemetery there.
caption: Abdul Niyaz with his soldiers in Kashgar during the rebellion
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