China is currently under investigation by the United States and Europe on the suspicion that the countries leadership has authorized the ethnic cleansing of 12 million Uighur Muslims. In 2017, satellite images uncovered the construction of what appeared to be a large number of textile factories in the northern province of Xingjian, China. Shocking video and photo evidence leaked to the internet revealed that these were in fact 380 separate internment camps used by the Chinese government to imprison Uighur Muslims (BBC News, 2020). Since the camps establishment, the Uighur Muslim population within the Xingjian province has decreased by 85% (Vox, 2019).
The Chinese government has acknowledged the existence of the camps but refuses to release details concerning what is going on inside of them. The countries lead officials and ambassadors have seemingly denied all reports that China has mistreated its Muslim minority (Lippman & Toosi, 2020). However, testimony from those who have escaped or been released from the camps tells a much different story. Many of the victims describe being forced to accept communist ideology and deny their religious beliefs (Rahim, 2019). Other accounts depict gruesome images of physical abuse, rape, and torture (Rahim, 2019). Both male and female victims have claimed they were subjected to mandatory sterilization (Reinsberg, 2020).
I assume that you are curious why China is targeting the Muslim community. In 2012, a group of terrorists who were later identified by Chinese authorities as Uighur Muslims killed 20 people in a Xingjian market. Since then the Chinese government has heavily segregated the minority group and collectively stereotyped them as radical extremists (Vox, 2019). Uighurs are strictly prohibited from practicing their faith and attending religious gatherings (KARAM, 2020). Women are not allowed to wear headdresses and men cannot grow beards (KARAM, 2020). Given the strength of China’s police force, the Uighur Muslim community is powerless compared to their oppressors.
I personally find these events shocking. Unlike many of the stories we have read this semester that exist within a historical context, this is happening now. 9 million Uighur Muslims have been confirmed missing, many of which have likely been killed inside the internment camps (Werleman, 2020). This closely parallels Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical novel Persepolis, which describes numerous instances of injustice that resulted in the death of thousands of Iranian moderates. In both instances, we observe a total disregard for human rights and individual freedom. Similar to the Iranian moderates, Uighur Muslims are being oppressed and possibly even murdered because of their beliefs and cultural identity.
The following article published on, Independent.com.uk, is a compilation of 6 before and after photos taken by satellites over Xinjiang. They show Uighur Muslim graveyards being decimated to make room for Chinese infrastructure. In photo 3 for example, you can clearly see a burial ground that was later turned into a park in 2019. This is further evidence suggesting that China intends to erase the ethnic identity of Muslims from the region.
I highly recommend checking out this YouTube video published by The Economist. It explains the situation in China and shows the oppression Uighur Muslims currently face.
Retrieved from BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54277430
KARAM. (2020, september 17). Injustice against the Uighur Muslims. Retrieved from Karam: https://www.karamfoundation.org/1693-2/
Lippman, D., & Toosi, N. (2020, 08 25). Trump administration weighs accusing China of ‘genocide’ over Uighurs. Retrieved from Politico: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/25/trump-administration-china-genocide-uighurs-401581
Rahim, Z. (2019, October 22). Prisoners in China’s Xinjiang concentration camps subjected to gang rape and medical experiments, former detainee says. Retrieved from Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-xinjiang-uighur-muslim-detention-camps-xi-jinping-persecution-a9165896.html
Reinsberg, L. (2020, July 29). China’s Forced Sterilization of Ughur Women Violates Clear International Law. Retrieved from Just Security : https://www.justsecurity.org/71615/chinas-forced-sterilization-of-uyghur-women-violates-clear-international-law/
Vox (Director). (2019). China’s secret internment camps [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMkHcZ5IwjU&t=305s
Werleman, C. (2020, August 24). ‘Death is Everywhere’ Millions More Uyghurs Missing . Retrieved from Byline Times: https://bylinetimes.com/2020/08/24/death-is-everywhere-millions-more-uyghurs-missing/
This is very interesting to learn that Muslim women in China are prohibited from wearing their hijab (hair and face cover). I wonder if there could be a religious unrest in the near future looking at what is going on around the world.
To be completely honest, I had no idea that this was happening. Thank you for bringing awareness to this and including the article and video. As you mentioned, it is hard to read that these events are happening and that China is not denying it (like when the article mentions they didn’t deny destroying the cemeteries, saying the burial sites were “relocated”).