British Members of Parliament declared yesterday in a vote for the first time that China is committing genocide against the Uyghur Muslims.
The motion we reported here, which many Muslims up and down the country were contacting their local MPs to support, is a sign of growing awareness and appetite for challenging the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The motion does not compel the UK government to take any action, but the CCP lashed out predictably saying the UK should “immediately right its wrong moves.” [2]
Also read: Another Ramadan Without Ramadan
The proposed vote was worded as follows:
“This house believes the Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in the Xinjiang region are suffering crimes against humanity and genocide.”
Tory Sir Iain Duncan Smith, one of five UK parliamentarians sanctioned by China for speaking out against genocide, described the vote as “a historic moment”.
Author of the motion former Tory minister Nusrat Ghani, said:
“The work does not stop here. We cannot continue business as usual with China while these atrocities continue. The government must now act urgently to ensure our supply chains are not tainted by goods made with Uyghur forced labour.” [3]
The CCP as usual adopted the Islamophobic War on Terror’s “Extremism” discourse experimented on Muslims in western nations and exported across the world in recent years, to justify its incarceration of over a million Muslims.
The fact that the Chinese state responds so readily and vociferously to any tarnishing of its public image has long been argued by Uyghur campaigners as one of the many signs that public condemnation and action against the CCP is an effective tool for supporting Uyghurs.
Also read: 10 things you can do for Uyghurs right now
The reported abuse of the Uyghurs—the oldest Turkic people to accept Islam, a thousand years ago—includes rape, torture, hair and organ harvesting, forced sterilisation, child separation, forced labour and more.
Despite the norm of UK governments’ close relationships with those committing genocide, parliament has finally joined a rising tide of western nations who have also in recent months had similar motions passed. However, the fight has only just begun.
Take ACTION for Uyghurs
“Whoever among you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand [by taking action]; if he cannot, then with his tongue [by speaking out]; and if he cannot, then with his heart [by at least hating it and believing that it is wrong], and that is the weakest of faith.” [Sahih Muslim]
In this blessed month of Ramadan, whilst we learn of appalling reports that fellow Muslims in East Turkestan have been forced to drink alcohol and eat pork, in addition to being banned from fasting, it is easy to feel powerless, but you can do something.
Stand up for Uyghurs
Islam21c has been working hard behind the scenes with key figures on the Uyghur activism scene to create a nationwide campaign to guide us towards effective action for our Uyghur brothers and sisters. If you would like to be part of this campaign, simply enter your email address in the box below and you’ll be contacted in due course inshāAllāh.
Source: Islam21c.com
Notes:
1. https://www.islam21c.com/news-views/mps-to-vote-on-declaration-of-uyghur-genocide/
2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56843368
3. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/22/uk-mps-declare-china-is-committing-genocide-against-uyghurs-in-xinjiang
