NO RAMZAN IN XINJIANG! - Ground Report

That even in the twenty first century, a people would be persecuted just because of their religious beliefs and simply because they wish to preserve their ethnic identity may seem unbelievable. Yet, this is exactly what is happening to the Uyghur Muslims of China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region (XAR). Reduced to a minority in their own land by Beijing’s motivated programme of indiscriminately settling down people belonging to the Han community here for this very purpose and by being treated as ‘second class’ citizens, things for the Uyghur Muslims of Xinjiang seem to be getting from bad to worse. To add insult to injury, the traditionally peace loving Uyghur Muslims have been branded radical Islamists. Unfortunately, no one seems to really care and even if someone does, no one is willing to speak up on behalf of this persecuted community.
While the recent reports that the Chinese authorities have imposed restrictions on observance of the mandatory requirement of fasting during Ramzan appears to have shocked the Islamic world and also drawn criticism, it is no more than lip service, as this curb is nothing new and has been imposed on the Uyghur Muslims all along. The US Department of Human Rights Report of 2008 has reported the same, mentioning that the Chinese authorities were “Restricting State employees from observance of Ramadan and prohibiting closure of restaurants during periods of fasting. The Kashgar Teachers College reportedly implemented a series of measures to prevent students from observing Ramadan, including imposing communal means and requiring students to obtain permission to leave campus. School authorities also made students gather for a school assembly at a time of day coinciding with Friday prayers.”
Beijing’s highhandedness against the Uyghur Muslims of Xinjiang has continued unabated since no one has cared to bother about the gross violations of their human rights. Though America has severely indicted Beijing for the same, commercial interests have made this great ‘champion’ of human rights and liberty look the other way. While Washington’s abject apathy towards the religious persecution of Uyghur Muslims comes as no big surprise, the lack of concern exhibited by Islamic nations is indeed worrisome. Even though the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has expressed its grave concern on this matter, but this 57 member state strong organisation, by simply stating that having had contacted the Chinese government and is awaiting a reply, has adroitly avoided taking any concrete steps to help its Uyghur brethren.
The Americans have coined the fancy phrase ‘war on terror’ and Beijing making good use of this by alleging that “East Turkistan terrorist forces,” in concert with the Al Qaida as well as many other Central and Western terrorist organisations are waging a “holy war with the aim of setting up a theocratic ‘Islamic state’ in Xinjiang.” While it is correct that Uyghur terrorist groups are in existence and Xinjiang has been witnessing ethnic violence perpetuated by Uyghurs, there is no evidence to suggest that Uyghur terrorist groups have any such grandiose plans. Even if they do harbour such thoughts, is Beijing justified in persecuting an entire community just for the crimes of a handful? Surely Beijing knows very well that this illogical reasoning will find no takers, but isn’t it also evident that Beijing is not the least worried as it knows that while its dictatorial attitude may attract some criticism, no one would dare do anything about it?
While the persecution of Uyghur Muslims is indeed inexcusable and appalling, more atrocious is Beijing’s attitude of linking the preaching and practicing of Islam as the raison d’être for terrorism. By promoting the erroneous impression that following the tenets of Islam promotes the cult of terrorism, Beijing is in effect openly insulting the religion that actually preaches peace as well as amity and this sacrilegious action just cannot be accepted. Islamic states need to take a much more serious view of Beijing’s intransigence and initiate steps to ensure that its portrayal of Islam in bad light ceases forthwith. Beijing has already been given a very long rope as even though there is much to say about the harsh methods it is employing in dealing with the ethnic strife in XAR, no one is really complaining about this. Yet, denying an entire community the freedom to practice its religion can by no stretch of imagination be ignored on the grounds that it is China’s ‘internal matter’.
Beijing needs to realise that the era when religious communities could be prosecuted merely on the whims and fancies of rulers has long ended. Today, even when any extremist group tries to seek and justify its abhorrent actions of violence by invoking religion, the international community knows very well that the fault lies not in the religion, but with the terrorists themselves, who misinterpret its teachings to suit their convenience. The fact of the matter is that while everyone accepts the universal truth that no religion promotes or condones acts of terrorism, China is the only nation in the world which is unashamedly following a state policy of religious persecution by linking it to terrorism.
While it may be difficult to get Beijing to change its attitude, it is certainly not impossible. Considering its oil and commerce dependency on Islamic nations, the OIC should be in a position to leverage the same in order to impress upon Beijing to withdraw the unwarranted restrictions it has imposed on the Uyghur Muslims of XAR immediately. The OIC as well as Muslims all over the world should remember that doing this is not a favour, but a moral duty and a responsibility, which cannot be ignored. And so, while we pray, fast and rejoice during this holy month of Ramzan, let us not forget our oppressed Muslims brothers and sisters in Xinjiang!