Diary of Systemic Injustice Showcase — Uighur Persecution in China by Bailey Conrad

In China’s Xinjiang region, there is large systemic discrimination against a group called the Uighurs for their religion. Uighurs are Muslims mainly from the Xinjiang region, which is in the northwest region of China. Chinese officials have created detention camps for them. In the article cited, it states that (referring to the Uighurs), “Often, their only crime is being Muslim, human rights groups say, adding that many Uighurs have been labeled as extremists simply for practicing their religion.” At these camps, detainees are forced to pledge loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party, renounce Islam, and learn Mandarin. To cover the camp’s existence Chinese officials have been calling the names of the camps “vocational training centers” and “boarding schools.” Although, in 2019, documents were leaked exposing the true nature of the camps (Maizland).

Religious persecution is integrated into China’s practices. In 2017, Xinjiang passed a law prohibiting citizens from wearing veils and growing long beards and formally used training centers to rid extremism. The Chinese government has an expectation for its citizens to behave in a certain way, and if one’s values do not align with their ways, then persecution will occur (Maizland). Regarding the United States, former President Trump signed a law requiring punishment for those involved in the oppression. The US was the first country to declare that “China is committing crimes against humanity and genocide,” which allows the US and other countries to continue to impose sanctions on China. The United Kingdom and European Union are also playing a role alongside the US (Maizland).

Ethnic Uighurs take part in a protest march asking for the European Union to call upon China to respect human rights in the Chinese Xinjiang region and asking for the closure of “re-education center” where some Uighurs are detained, during a demonstration around the EU institutions in Brussels on April 27, 2018. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)

Women are particularly disadvantaged in this crisis. They are abused physically and sexually and undergo forced sterilization. They are forced into marriages and into assimilating to the typical Chinese culture. In a recent news article, women that have been involved in the crisis share their stories. One woman recounts her experiences in a detention camp, which included weekly body checks, surveillance cameras in the restrooms, and receiving unidentified injections that made her menstrual periods stop (Mistreanu). The intersectionality of being both Uighur and a woman is like that of Marji in Persepolis. Since Marji was both a woman and an Iranian citizen that did not conform to the extremist Islamic government policies, she had unique challenges.

The video attached (from 0:25-2:00) gives a comprehensive overview of the crisis and the motives behind the Chinese government.

It is heartbreaking to hear about how a whole government is against a group of people simply for their religion. The Uighurs are constantly in fear for their life. Other countries have been playing an active role in the attempt to end the oppression. The crisis reminds me of the colonization of the British in Things Fall Apart. The British imposed their religion on the African people like the Chinese government is on the Uighur population.

Sources:

“China’s Uighur Crisis: When Muslims Are Abused, The World Turns A Blind Eye | Think | NBC News.” YouTube, YouTube, 12 Aug. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVNRnW3NAmY.

Maizland, Lindsay. “China’s Repression of Uighurs in Xinjiang.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 19 Jan. 2021, 0700, www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-repression-uighurs-xinjiang.

Mistreanu, Simina. “Uyghur Women Are China’s Victims-and Resistance.” Foreign Policy, WordPress VIP, 12 Mar. 2021, foreignpolicy.com/2021/03/12/uyghur-women-are-chinas-victims-and-resistance/.