{"id":472,"date":"2019-05-15T23:11:23","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T14:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/?p=472"},"modified":"2019-05-15T23:11:31","modified_gmt":"2019-05-15T14:11:31","slug":"religious-repression-and-cultural-decimation-spare-a-thought-for-uyghurs-this-ramadan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/2019\/05\/15\/religious-repression-and-cultural-decimation-spare-a-thought-for-uyghurs-this-ramadan\/","title":{"rendered":"Religious Repression and Cultural Decimation: Spare a Thought for Uyghurs this Ramadan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by\u00a0Omer Kanat<\/a>May 14, 2019<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Opinion<\/a>
https:\/\/theglobepost.com\/2019\/05\/14\/china-uyghurs-ramadan\/?fbclid=IwAR2gxyiL_8ZPnRebBmOLFG3LdP4Rmagynb1sDOHwlXf0BwelWxjMVzMNeJ0<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ethnic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ethnic Uyghurs take part in a protest march asking the EU to call upon China to respect human rights in East Turkestan and asking for the closure of “re-education centers.” Photo: Emmanuel Dunand, AFP17SHARESShare on Facebook<\/strong><\/a>Share on Twitter<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, school officials in Peyziwat County in East Turkestan in the northwest of China forced Uyghur students and their parents to sign pledges that they would not fast during Ramadan<\/a>. As an act of faith, the Ramadan fast is essential to Muslims. It is a personal and reflective act between believer and God. The wreckage of this relationship through the intrusive farce of enforced \u201cpledges\u201d is telling of the Chinese government\u2019s destruction across the Uyghur cultural and religious landscape<\/a>. The Chinese state determines every aspect of what it means to be a Uyghur and Muslim in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, Jews and Christians followed the practices of Passover and Easter with acts of faith renewing their relationship with God. Muslims will observe the fast, giving of alms, and reading of the Quran during their holy month. In a country such as the United States, it seems unimaginable that these practices would be denied to believers. During Ramadan, I urge religious communities to support Uyghurs<\/a> in their freedom to worship and to determine their spiritual lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mass-Internment Camps in East Turkestan<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since 2017, the Chinese government has initiated a mass-internment campaign<\/a> in East Turkestan that has taken an estimated and shocking 1.5 million individuals<\/a>. The scale of the camp system and the rapid construction of these facilities has been breathtaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Xinjiang<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There are many pretexts for internment, including any kind of overseas connection<\/a>, such as a relative living outside of China or a short visit to another country, or even the slightest standing as a public figure sharing the Uyghur cultural<\/a> or scientific experience. The Uyghur Human Rights Project<\/em> recently documented<\/a> nearly 400 Uyghur intellectuals interned, disappeared, or imprisoned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scale of the ongoing emergency, now entering its third year, has led scholars and academics to raise the alarm. James Millward<\/strong>, a history professor at Georgetown University, has said<\/a>: \u201cCultural cleansing is Beijing\u2019s attempt to find a final solution to the Xinjiang problem.\u201d Rian Thum<\/strong>, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham, has warned that<\/a> \u201cin the pursuit of China\u2019s \u2018stability,\u2019 mass murder and genocide do not look like impossible outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uyghurs and Islam<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Uyghur who openly shares their belief in Islam is certainly a target for the camps<\/a>. The Chinese authorities have leveraged the camps to indoctrinate Uyghurs in the so-called \u201cevils of religion\u201d and to convert Uyghurs into secular individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chinese<\/a>
Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: AFP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One Uyghur woman who was taken into one of the internment camps with her one-year-old baby was physically humiliated and repeatedly forced to denounce any belief in Islam. She was coerced to repeat sentences<\/a> such as: \u201cI deserve punishment for not understanding that only President Xi Jinping<\/strong> and the Communist Party can help me\u201d and \u201cThere is no God. I don\u2019t believe in God. I believe in the Communist Party.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Chinese authorities claim<\/a> that these camps are a means to \u201cre-educate\u201d religious extremists. This is a lie and the deliberate exploitation of Islamophobia to justify de-humanizing conditions and torture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From sheer numbers alone, it is hard to believe that there are several hundred thousand Uyghur extremists in the Uyghur homeland. From an understanding of recent history, the assertion extremism pervades Uyghur society is difficult to sustain. Two respected religious<\/a> scholars<\/a>, Muhammad Salih Hajim<\/strong> andAbdulehed Mehsum<\/strong>, have died inside internment camps. The Chinese government has refused to make any statements on these deaths in custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Religious Repression<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, The Economist<\/em> published an article<\/a> titled The extraordinary ways in which China humiliates Muslims<\/em>. The headline captured the lengths to which Chinese officials will go to control the spiritual lives of Uyghurs and other Muslims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over several years, the Uyghur Human Rights Project<\/em> has recorded these restrictions<\/a>, such as the strict prohibition against organized private religious education and the denial to freely undertake Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. The minutest details are not overlooked. In 2017, Uyghurs reported<\/a> that schools were discouraging students from using the traditional Muslim greeting of \u201cAs-Salaam Alaikum.\u201d The appearance of Uyghur women as \u201ctoo religious\u201d has become a cause for concern demonstrating the gendered aspects of religious repression. Chinese police cut the long tops and dresses<\/a> of Uyghur women because this kind of clothing was a sign of religious extremism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attack on Uyghur Ethnic Identity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Chinese state\u2019s assault on Uyghur religious belief and practice is not only an attack on Islamic values, but also on Uyghur ethnic identity. As Muslims and a Turkic people with a language and culture distinguishable from the Han majority, Uyghurs present an identifiable \u201cother\u201d whose difference from the rest of China is to blame for the country\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Chinese officials sanction the demolition of mosques<\/a> across the Uyghur homeland, they also slowly eradicate the Uyghur language<\/a> from the education system and public life. Assimilation is an existential threat to who Uyghurs are. The Chinese authorities\u2019 strategic refusal to craft policies that protect diversity gives rise to measures which will destroy Uyghurs as a people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Uyghur from E.T<\/strong>@Uyghurspeaker<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Famous #Uyghur<\/a> singers Senever Tursun(L),Parida Mamut(M),Aytilla Ala sentenced to 5 yrs each. Famous comedian Adil Mijit (R) who suspended from work arrested some days ago. Whereabouts unknown. #JusticeforUyghur<\/a> #ConcentrationCamps<\/a> #EastTurkistan<\/a> #reeducationcamps<\/a>Uyghur from E.T<\/strong>@Uyghurspeaker\u636e\u6089\u65e9\u5148\u88ab\u6293\u7684\u7dad\u543e\u5c14\u8457\u540d\u5973\u6b4c\u624bSenever Tursun(\u5de6)\uff0cParida Mamut(\u4e2d)\uff0cAytilla Ala\u6700\u8fd1\u88ab\u5404\u52245\u5e74\u3002\u65e9\u4e8e\u88ab\u505c\u6b62\u7684”\u7dad\u543e\u5c14\u5c0f\u54c1\u738b”Adil Mijit (\u53f3)\u51e0\u5929\u524d\u4e5f\u88ab\u6293\u8d70\u3002https:\/\/m.facebook.com\/story.php?story_fbid=2301141019921777&id=100000777053688&ref=content_filter \u2026#JusticeforUyghur #ConcentrationCamps #EastTurkistan #reeducationcamps<\/a>53<\/a>1:38 AM – Dec 16, 2018<\/a>Twitter Ads info and privacy<\/a>88 people are talking about this<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, as an act of faith, diversity, and solidarity against the willful policies of religious repression and cultural decimation, I ask religious communities at Ramadan to support the Uyghurs<\/a>. Simple acts can be the most powerful. Americans can call their representative<\/a> to support the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act<\/a> currently in Congress. Everyone can share information about the conditions in the Uyghur homeland, boycott Chinese made products during Ramadan, or donate<\/a> to a Uyghur organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Uyghur, I appreciate your attention. Ramadan Mubarak.Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Globe Post.\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0Omer KanatMay 14, 2019\u00a0in\u00a0Opinion https:\/\/theglobepost.com\/2019\/05\/14\/china-uyghurs-ramadan\/?fbclid=IwAR2gxyiL_8ZPnRebBmOLFG3LdP4Rmagynb1sDOHwlXf0BwelWxjMVzMNeJ0 Ethnic Uyghurs take part in a protest march asking the EU to call upon China to respect human rights in … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[15],"class_list":["post-472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-religious-perscution"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":473,"href":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472\/revisions\/473"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/yuzb.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}