Photo: Panel_-_Guaranteeing_the_Rights_of_Minority_Women.jpg: United States Mission Geneva derivative work: FishInWater (talk) / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Rebiya Kadeer is a figure I find hard not to admire. She built a fortune from nothing in 1980s Xinjiang, becoming one of the wealthiest women in China through real estate and a sprawling conglomerate, and then spent that standing advocating for the Uyghur people rather than retreating into comfort. That choice cost her dearly, and her 2004 Rafto Prize recognizes a courage that goes far beyond business acumen. What moves me most is the arc itself: someone who could have stayed quiet and rich instead became a voice for a marginalized community. Whatever one's politics, that kind of personal sacrifice for a cause demands a serious second look.
Overview
Rebiya Kadeer (Uyghur: رابىيە قادىر, romanized: Rabiye Qadir; born 15 November 1946) is an ethnic Uyghur Chinese businesswoman and political activist. Born in Altay City, Xinjiang, China, Kadeer became a millionaire in the 1980s through her real estate holdings and ownership of a multinational conglomerate.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Rebiya Kadeer
- Name (Japanese)
- ラビア・カーディル
- Reading
- らびあ・かーでぃる
- Born
- January 21, 1947 (age 79)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Boar
- Origin
- Altay City, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, People's Republic of China
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- human rights defender / merchant / politician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2004 Rafto Prize
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Human rights defender — see all → · More people from People's Republic of China →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.