The Uyghur Muslims.
Let's talk about them. Let's talk about who they are and the horrible injustice that they're facing as I am typing up this blog post. The Uyghur Muslims are an ethnic minority that live in East Turkestan. Yes, you read correctly. East Turkestan. Not, so called 'Xinjang' as you would have heard, or read. Only East Turkestan. Or at least, before China invaded in the 20th century and claimed it their own land just like they did with Tibet-but this isn't a history lesson. The Uyghur Muslims have-and still are-facing a genocide. There's no other word for it. Disclaimer; most of what you're about to read is unpleasant so if you find it easier, scroll down to the bottom of this page to find out how you can support the Uyghur Muslims, with links to petitions, donations and Uyghur related business etc. Islamaphobia is a disease which some do (unfortunately) still suffer from (in 2020 as well) and the Chinese/Xinjang government, have a serious case of it. in 2018, the world came to the acknowledgement, that there is in fact a 21st century genocide going on. However, reports from the BBC and Satellite images have shown that it did in fact start from 2017, when Mosques were being demolished and men and women prohibited from practising their religion (Islam) in Xinjang. Satellite images captured pictures of strange building being built closed together in the region of Xinjang, between 2017-2018 and it turned out, those are concentration camps. Yes, like the ones from Nazi Germany. Except these are built to detain and supress Muslims. The Chinese government are expanding these camps every year and since 2017, at least 1 million Uyghurs have been thrown in these camps with at least 85 identified existing camps. But the number of these camps, are rapidly growing. Who's to say there aren't more being built? China however don't disagree that these camps are being made. They just have another term for it. 'Re-education camps' is what the Chinese government call them, apparently to teach the Uyghurs all about the Han Chinese life and China's original traditions, from music to food to clothes etc. Don't be fooled. These are not 'Re-education camps' as the Chinese government like to call them. These camps (to simply put it) are Ethnic cleansing camps. What is ethnic cleansing? Ethnic cleansing is the mass expulsion/killing of members of a religion or tribe in an area. The Chinese government are killing the Uyghur Muslims. People as young as 14 are sent to these camps, with no information or grounds as to why they have been imprisoned. Sometimes, it can be the simplest of reasons, such as practising Islam. Muslim Uyghur women are forced to marry and live, sleep and eat with Han Chinese men which has almost always led to multiple rapes and sexual violence. Families are being torn apart, some having to flee to other countries, whilst leaving their loved ones behind with no whereabouts of them. Forced birth control is one of the biggest crimes in the camps, which includes forced sterilisation and abortion of the Uyghur women. Inhumane Practises such as organ harvesting and poisoning are also present at these camps, with excess torture including stabbing, electrocution, beatings, burning and much, much more. The Uyghurs are forced to eat pork and drink alcohol, Uyghurs who hesitate are immediately sent to be punished. They are forced to renounce Islam and learn everything about the Han Chine lifestyle and learn mandarin Chinese. This is a horrible crisis which isn't only affecting the Uyghur Muslims inflicted with the genocide, but also the families and friends of these people. To not know whether your friends and families are alive, if they're eating, sleeping or living well, can truly have a detrimental effect. Many of you may not have families in East Turkestan. but let me ask you something-if your friends or family DID live in East Turkestan, would you be okay with the fact that everyone around you is staying silent? The fact that your friends and family are being stripped of their religion, culture and identity, yet none of the people around you care? Saying you care is one thing, but doing something about it is something entirely different. Actions do indeed, speak louder than words. If you have made it this far, I thank you for taking your time out to read this. Please, never stop fighting for justice and against injustice. If you are a Muslim reading this, thinking "Why not just leave it to God? God will fix everything." Yes. That is true. God can fix all the pain in the world. But our religion encourages to fight against injustices. It is a part of our Deen, if we sit and home and watch the world and it's people being destroyed, what good is that? How does that make us good Muslims? Especially in 2020, we have many recourses which we can use to spread awareness, but we still push it aside? we STILL let our brothers and sisters suffer? Whilst we cannot stop the pain, we can give out a helping hand. Like the Prophet Muhammad's (Peace be upon him) grandson once said; “Those who are silent when others are oppressed are guilty of oppression themselves” ― Imam Hussein Ibn Ali To help out you can demand action from companies and brands who are complicit in forced Uyghur Labour. These brands include Zara, Gap, Puma, Amazon, Apple, google and much more. It is impossible to stop using a lot of these brands, since we (me including) have already purchased from there, but we can boycott them and put pressure on them to stand in solidarity with the Uyghur Muslims! You can create your own petitions and start up local campaigns (socially distanced campaigns of course) or write to your local MP. If you do have Instagram, please take the time out and check out the link I've linked below! This account belongs to a student coalition advocating for the freedom and rights of Uyghurs and Turkic people in forced labour and internment camps. They have all the resources you need to support the Uyghur Muslims, and I've found them quite helpful. You can also DM them if you want to take part in the coalition-they do reply! Of course, you can also do your own research. But please do something. Like I have mentioned before, we are very very privileged people with access to food, a shelter and families and friends. If we were to lose any of those things, our lives would not be the same. So please think of the Uyghurs and their current situation, whilst also remembering them in your prayers. Stay safe!-Razia♡ https://www.instagram.com/freeuyghurnow/
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