Saudi Arabia Defends China’s Persecution of Uighur Muslims

MBS and Xi Jinping

The Uighur Muslims in the Xinjiang region of China are arguably the most persecuted Muslims in the world. 

Rohingya Muslims are being driven away and told to go practice Islam elsewhere but, Uighur Muslims are being
imprisoned and forced to renounce their faith. 

According to Amnesty International, over 1.5 million Uighur Muslims are being kept in prisons pending when they apostatize. 

The Chinese government calls these prisons  ‘reorientation centers’ and has continued to defend the atrocities. 

On July 21, the State Council Information Office of China released a white paper part of which read:“Islam is neither an indigenous nor the sole belief system of the Uighur people. Conversion to Islam was not a voluntary choice made by the common people, but a result of religious wars and imposition by the ruling class.” 

One would instinctively expect Muslim countries across the world to denounce China for this but unfortunately, the most popular Muslim country on the planet has repeatedly thrown its weight behind the Chinese government. 

The first of this support by Saudi Arabia came on 22nd February when Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, said in a conference which was part of his tour of Asia, "China has the right to take anti-terrorism and de-extremism measures to safeguard national security. Saudi Arabia respects and supports it and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China."

On 8th July, 22 countries signed a letter written to the United Nations Secretary-general condemning the atrocities of the Chinese government against the Uighur Muslim; none of them was a Muslim country. 

A day later, 37 countries responded by signing another letter to the UN Secretary-General. This time, it was a letter of praise for the Chinese government. Quite shockingly, 17 Muslim majority countries signed the letter; they include Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Qatar withdrew its signature from the letter on 18th July.

Among the wordings of the letter was: "Faced with the grave challenge of terrorism and extremism, China has undertaken a series of counter-terrorism and deradicalization measures in Xinjiang, including setting up vocational education and training centers", amongst other praises.

For those who might not be au fait with happenings in Xinjiang, here are some worthy to know facts.

1. Ramadan: Uighur Muslims are not allowed to fast in the month of Ramadan. The Chinese government says it is a form of extremism and it diminishes productivity. Muslims who own restaurants must also cook and keep their restaurants open in the month of Ramadan.
2. Punctuality to Masjid: This is seen as a feature of radicalization. Children below the age of 18 are banned from going to the Masjid.
3. Beard: Young people are not allowed to grow a beard. The authorities say it makes them look like terrorists.
4. Hijab: It is illegal for Muslim women to wear a hijab, veil or anything garment that is generally ascribed to Islam. 
5. Islamic education: It is illegal to educate children below the age of 18 on Islam, even at home.
6. Consuming alcohol & pork: Uighur Muslims are routinely rounded up and forced to drink alcohol and eat pork. It is seen as test to prove that they are not extremists.
7. Islamic names: In April 2017, the Chinese government released a list of 29 names it considers 'evil' and hence, illegal to be borne by any Muslim. Some of these names are: Muhammad, Arafat, Mujahid, Islam, Madina, Saddam, Imam, Saifullah, Hussien, Saifuddeen, Usama, Shamsudeen, Nasrullah, Aisha, Khadija, Muslima, Mukhlisa and Fatima.

Below is a list of countries that have condemned China's persecution of the Uighur Muslims

1. Australia
2. Austria
3. Belgium 
4. Canada
5. Denmark
6. Estonia
7. Finland
8. France
9. Germany
10. Iceland 
11. Ireland
12. Japan
13. Latvia
14. Lithuania
15. Luxembourg
16. Netherlands
17. New Zealand
18. Norway 
19. Spain
20. Sweden
21. Switzerland
22. United Kingdom

Here are the 36 countries that have defended the Persecution of Uighur Muslims. The Muslim majority countries are in red ink.

1. Algeria
2. Angola
3. Bahrain
4. Belarus
5. Bolivia
6. Burkina Faso
7. Burundi
8. Cambodia
9. Cameroon
10. Comoros
11. Cuba
12. DR Congo
13. Egypt
14. Eritrea
15. Gabon
16. Kuwait 
17. Laos
18. Myanmar
19. Nigeria
20. North Korea
21. Oman
22. Pakistan
23. Philippines
24. Congo
25. Russia
26. Saudi Arabia
27. Somalia
28. South Sudan
29. Sudan
30. Syria
31. Tajikistan
32. Togo
33. Turkmenistan
34. United Arab Emirates
35. Venezuela
36. Zimbabwe

May Allah free the Uighur Muslims and the Ummah from all forms of persecution, Ameen.