It was winter in East Turkestan, the first week of February in the year 1997. It happened to also be the night of the 27th of Ramadan in the city of Ghulja. It happened to also be the custom of the Muslim communities in East Turkestan to hold special gatherings to remember Allah, and to make du’ā upon the khatm or completion of reciting the Qur’ān on the night of 27 Ramadan, as was the tradition in most of the Muslim world.
How, then, would the spirit of a group of Muslim women have been, as they broke their fast with their families that night, and then hastened to make the necessary preparations so that they could gather with their fellow sisters for the sake of Allah? The spirit of the Sahāba, whom they emulated, must have emanated deeply into their own souls, as they hastened to exert their utmost efforts in the last remaining days of Mercy… The feeling of closeness to Allah and love of Allah must surely have settled deeply in their hearts…
They set out from their homes and met in their appointed place of gathering. Each sister embracing another, and sitting together as their programme began. Each with their Qur’ān at hand, they would follow through as they listened to the best reciter amongst them recite from the last pages of the Qur’ān, after which they would raise their hands in prayer, seeking Allah’s Acceptance, Forgiveness, and Mercy.
What they did not foresee, however, was that Allah, in His infinite Wisdom, had chosen for them this day to be a day of great trial. A day where their status with Allah would reach a pinnacle that could not be reached through great acts of worship alone. Surely, only a short time would pass from the commencement of their blessed programme, before the Chinese police raided their gathering. [1] The truthful women of Islam were rounded up and packed into a police van. They were taken to the local police station. That night, two of these sisters died from being tortured.
News of this incident began to spread in the neighbourhood. One of the sisters’ sons gathered his relatives and neighbours and protested in front of the police station, demanding the release of his mother and aunties. The police opened fire and many fell as shahīd that night. By morning, most of the Muslims in the area received news about this incident. Stirred by their faith and feelings of their honour being violated, they poured into the streets in the thousands and marched to the city centre, where they stood in protest in front of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) administrative buildings. [2]
What happened over the days that followed was a bloodbath that resulted in the murder of 400 Muslims and the imprisonment and torture of more than 2,000 Muslims. [3] Reports reveal that many of those imprisoned were held in −30°C temperatures, and were sprayed for days on end with freezing cold water. This led to the death of hundreds. Others were tortured and then brought out to be executed in public grounds. [4]
The blood of martyrs, and the sacrifice of the truthful men and women of Islam will never go to waste. This is the Promise of Allah.
إِن يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌۭ فَقَدْ مَسَّ ٱلْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌۭ مِّثْلُهُۥ ۚ وَتِلْكَ ٱلْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَيَتَّخِذَ مِنكُمْ شُهَدَآءَ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
“If a wound has befallen you, a similar wound has already befallen the people who are opposed to you. We make such movements to men in turn, so that Allah might mark out those who are the true men of faith; and select from among you, those who do really bear witness (to the Truth): for Allah does not love the wrongdoers.” [5]
The Muslims of East Turkestan have, and continue to stand witness to the Truth. They have sacrificed greatly to preserve the Dīn of Allah.
The question that arises now would have to be, what will we do as an Ummah? Will we be satisfied with our pursuit of Dunya, and do only that which is comfortable enough for us to do, such that we can satisfy our guilty conscience every time we hear of another massacre? Or rather, will we choose to do all within our ability to wake up, clean up, and stand up? Will we rise up to our task and do all that our Īmān calls us to do, just as we found the truthful Muslims of Ghulja doing this very morning, 26 years ago?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OOKGedrYBASource: Islam21c
Notes
[1] https://thediplomat.com/2017/03/remembering-the-ghulja-incident-20th-anniversary-of-uyghur-tiananmen-passes-with-little-notice/
[2] https://ia804708.us.archive.org/27/items/xinjiang-video-project/chinas-hidden-war-documentary-1997_512kb.mp4
[3] https://uyghurstudy.org/east-turkistan-and-the-uyghurs/
[4] https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/asa170181999en.pdf
[5] al-Qur’ān, 3:140
