A letter sent by 35 countries to the United Nation to confirm support of the Chinese government against millions of Muslims being detained in concentration camps has sparked an outcry among world Muslims.
At a time China is being accused of detaining millions from the Muslim minority, the Uyghurs in the western region of Xinjiang, Muslim-majority countries; including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar have affirmed their position in support of China in what they claimed as “taking a series of counter-terrorism measures to combat terrorism”.
In a letter seen by Reuters and signed by several Arab countries including the Philippines, Syria, Pakistan, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, the countries praised China’s “remarkable achievements in the field of human rights”.
I spit on the so called "Islamic Nations" who don't bat an eyelid for the Uyghur & Turkic Muslims of China who are being detained & tortured by the govt just because they're Muslims.
— Zainab Sikander (@zainabsikander) July 11, 2019
22 countries have spoken up for this.
??? ??? is a "Muslim" nation.https://t.co/GJc0hcFNMH
The letter has prompted several reactions around the world particularly because of the fact it was signed by Muslim-majority countries like Saudi Arabia as they claim to be “guardians of the Muslim world”. Meanwhile, China has been harshly criticized by several Western governments including Germany, France, and Belgium, but surprisingly not the United States.
? They signed onto a letter praising China after it was criticized for placing over 1 million Chinese Muslims in concentration camps. https://t.co/MZ64FLb2Hw
— Timothy E Kaldas (@tekaldas) July 13, 2019
Many Muslims and Arabs from Muslim-majority countries expressed their disappointment and shame at their governments' failure to speak up against human rights violations being carried out against other Muslims highlighting the fact that countries don't represent its people.
Shame on Muslim-majority countries that ALL remained silent at UN on the massive interment of perhaps a million Uighurs in Xinjiang!! https://t.co/jx8F3IVLI9
— Bessma Momani (@b_momani) July 10, 2019
The support for China affirmed in the letter was not surprising.
Earlier this year, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with President Zi Jinping and affirmed his position in support of China’s war on terrorism and extremism to protect its national security.
As his remarks shocked many, it helped refute a long-believed assumption Saudi Arabia is the guardian and official representative of Islam.
It is a shame on the whole Muslim world that none of these 22 countries who stood up for #Uyghurs are Muslim-majority:
— Mustafa Akyol (@AkyolinEnglish) July 12, 2019
"22 countries sign letter calling on China to close Xinjiang Uyghur camps"https://t.co/BpEmw9MkVH
For years now China has been accused of the mass detentions of more than a million Muslims of the Uyghurs ethnic group.
In the wide-scale detention centers, Uyghurs are being forced to attend Chinese language classes, repeat slogans praising the Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the communist party, in addition to forcing them to eat pork and drink alcohol, which is forbidden in Islam.
The Chinese government has denied the accusations, including the testimonies of former detainees who managed to reach safety.
