The Chinese Genocide of Uighur Muslims
by Maddie Shackleford
As of recently, I have seen headlines and such in regards to the Uighur genocide. I at first thought it was a hoax. Until I dived into the information this week. Not only have they been sent to concentration camps but it is estimated that this genocide is one of the worst since the Holocaust. Yes, you heard me right. Since the Holocaust. Something I find that most nations have strived to prevent since the tragic deaths of millions of Jews. Yet, why isn’t the same being done for the Uighur Muslims? Although the Holocaust is taught in most American schools, we fail to recognize what defines a cultural genocide and an actual genocide.
In China, the Uighur women’s reproductive rights are removed as of right now. This is key according to China as they want to prevent the continuation of Uighur Muslim offspring. In fact, this is one of the criteria the United Nations describes as a part of identifying a genocide. So formally, it is listed as a genocide. Uighur women are also forced to take birth control, if they do get pregnant are forced to abort, and if they have children currently they are sent to schools where they are forced to convert to another religion.
China set up neighborhoods/concentration camps to isolate them from the “pure” population. In China’s example, they are isolating the Uighur from the rest of the population and using the word “internment camps” as a way to re-educate the Muslims and force them to change their previous ideals. In a way, similar to colonialism just focused on cultural reform.
China enacted forced labor camps by naming them “re-education camps” in which people in these camps could have a variety of labor jobs. The most significant one in China is Xinjiang’s cotton industry. Workers pick cotton, package tea, and other goods to send to countries such as the United States. But according to the U.S Department of Homeland Security, it has been decided to reject goods from this region in an attempt to boycott their practices.
Here is a video outlining what is inside these camps:
This has sparked outrage across the globe through the use of protest and even rioting. In the image below, you can see an overwhelming outcry for the issue at hand by the Uighur women in China:
The image is a result of Uighur women trying to protest their treatment but was confronted by the Chinese government through brutal government policy.
Allegedly, the Chinese government doesn’t plan on eradicating them despite overwhelming evidence suggesting that there isn’t access to health care or other services needed to keep the people in these camps alive. Additionally, there is a mass amount of violence and oppression set upon them. Instead, it is claimed that they just want to reform/change their way of thinking through re-education camps. It isn’t a surprise as they are communist and feel the need to control every aspect of your life. From your job, to how many children you can have, education, and many other things. China is a completely different country however the injustice at hand is still noteworthy to mention in this showcase. As the injustice here goes beyond oppression in a way it is a control system that continues to impact the lives of the Muslim people in China. Injustice to this degree requires a system to actively detain and change the way these people think, therefore, making it a systemic injustice in the sense that it is a systemic effort to get rid of the culture altogether.
References:
https://www.vox.com/2020/7/28/21333345/uighurs-china-internment-camps-forced-labor-xinjiang
https://newrepublic.com/article/158374/left-deafening-silence-uighur-china