Original Article Written for Trax News by Faizah Haider
Uighurs Muslims are an ethnic minority group who live in Xinjiang, in North-western China. Uighurs have been natives of the land for hundreds of years before the Chinese Han and Tang dynasties. It is believed their ancestors may have been Turks from central Asia; as the language they speak is related to Turkish. They make up almost half of the population of the region at over 11 million.
Uighurs declared independence in Xinjiang for a short period until the Communist Party of China (CPC) took control in 1949. It was designated an autonomous region within China, but in reality it is controlled by the Chinese state. The CPC have been oppressing their own minority groups systematically, and the Uighurs are now considered criminals. After the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, the CPC took advantage of the situation and increased ‘anti-terrorism’ measures. As part of this the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination provided shocking evidence to prove over 1 million Uighur and minority Muslim groups are being detained in Xinjiang ‘re-education camps’ in the guise to stamp out extremism. In most cases Uighurs are held against their will, without charge, just for being Muslim, and are forced to be indoctrinated by the CPC propaganda; in what has been described as a ‘program of brainwashing and torture’ as stated in a report by Amnesty International. The U.S defence department has referred to these as ‘concentration camps’ to reform the ‘mentally ill’. The government of the People’s Republic of China first denied the existence of these camps, but later admitted they do exist officially calling them, ‘Vocational Education and Training Centers. Government officials denial that any mistreatment is taking place within these camps, and that they instead offer the development of training and skills. Any authenticated video evidence of foul play that has been presented to the Chinese government, has been dismissed as ‘fake’ by authorities.
The injustices do not stop at these camps. Draconian actions to reduce the Uighur and Muslim population by the Chinese government include the alleged forced sterilization of its women, and forced fitted birth control in the form of Intrauterine devices (IUDs). Uighur women have also claimed to have been threatened with fines and detainment for having babied or suffered from having forced abortions. Muslim names for children have also been banned.
The Chinese government are renowned at monitoring the Chinese population using the most advanced surveillance systems in the world. All online interactions are monitored and speaking out against the CPC has consequences. The CPC have even gone as far as to send government officials into Uighur families to live with them in order to report back to the government on their activities. This program called, ‘Untied as one family’ has over 1.1 million Han Chinese sent into Uighur homes as ‘spies’. Uighurs are in fear of their lives, and that of their families; if they try to speak out about their treatment. Journalists have also been prevented from entering the region, and reporting freely.
The handful of Uighurs who have managed to escape have fled to neighbouring countries such as Tukey, often leaving behind their loved ones which they can never contact again. Outside of China they have been able to talk about their persecution, experiences of interrogation, and torture. Many whom claim to have been subjected to medical experiments, with widely reported organ harvesting, sexual humiliation, and gang rape. Conditions in the camps have been described as overcrowded, with no hygiene, and Uighur Muslims have also said to have been forced to eat pork which is forbidden in Islam and banned from fasting during the holy month of Ramadan as a part of their ‘re-education’. If they refused it would result in punishment, from the deprivation of food to even having fingernails ripped off. For those Uighurs who do manage to physically escape these camps, they will never be able to fully recover from the trauma, fear, and pain. Recently it has emerged that Turkey may be helping China repatriate Uighur Muslims, by sending them to third world countries from which they can be extradited by Beijing. So even if they do escape there is no guarantee they will be able to seek refuge.
John Bolton, former US national security advisor has spoken out about Donald Trump expressing his approval for these ‘re-education camps’ for Muslims to Chinese President Xi Jinping in a private meeting which he details in his memoir, The Room Where It Happed. Sadly, a majority of Muslim countries have chosen to remain silent on the abuse of Uighur Muslims, and even preventing intervention. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, and other Muslim-majority states supported a block on a motion by the United Nations calling the Chinese government to allow ‘independent international observers’ to investigate the camps in Xinjiang. Reasoning of this is most probably related to economic ties.
Despite the lack of a unanimous call of intervention there has been some movement. The US have imposed sanction on Chinese companies, and institutions linked to the mistreatment of Uighurs and 11 Chinese companies have been added to the US economic blacklist. The British government has also spoken out against the ‘gross, egregious’ abuse of the Uighurs, but has not imposed any sanctions. France has called for more inspections by international independent observer countries to monitor the, ‘revolting and unacceptable’ treatment of the ethnic group. Over 180 human rights groups have urged companies such as Amazon, Nike and Adidas to stop sourcing cotton and clothing from the Xinjiang region, and to cut ties with any ‘forced labour’ being induced on the Uighurs to produce these goods.
The CPC’s goal appears to be to wipe out the identity and existence of the Uighur population which is a form of ethnic genocide. This is end of religious freedom, with the Chinese government stating that these measures are necessary to combat separatist violence in the region. The situation has fast become one of the most shocking human rights crisis in the world today, and with serious international intervention out of sight it is only going to get worse.
