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Life of Uyghur Muslims In China

Published

June 14, 2016

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This article is written by a Uighur activist living through the ordeal of being a Muslim under Chinese rule. We have chosen not to disclose her name for her safety.

Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority that consider this region its homeland are forced to live a inhuman life. There are a lot of restrictions as mosques are barred from broadcasting the call to prayer—the adhan. Restrictions on the movements of laborers have wreaked havoc on local agriculture. And a battery of ever more intrusive ways are released to monitor the communications of citizens for possible threats to public security.

The tough security measures are for travelers are on full views as they stop at the ubiquitous highway checkpoints that slow movement across rugged expanse of deserts and snowy peaks.

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As heavily armed soldiers rummage through car trunks and examine ID cards, ethnic Uighur motorists and their passengers are sometimes asked to hand over their cellphones so that the police can search them for content or software deemed a threat to public security.

In the name of security, Uyghurs are being suppressed by the police. Sometimes it crossed all the limits. The situation is getting worse, day by day. Police may ask citizens to hand over their cell phones at any time. These days even receiving phone calls from overseas is enough to warrant a visit from state security.

In addition to jihadist videos, the police are on the lookout for Skype and WhatsApp, apps popular with those who communicate with friends and relatives outside China, and for software that allows users to access blocked websites.

Now, the government decides what to wear and how to pray.

The most shocking thing is now government is telling to change the name of their children.

Day by day the government brutality is increasing. They are posing new laws. In some homes there are only babies or small kids as their parents have been taken away.

Police patrols, include one official policeman, three members of the auxiliary police, and 10 militia members from each village that they inspect. At night, they patrol until 2:00 a.m., and stop anyone found walking around so that they can check their backgrounds and identification.

Police also investigate residents’ guests to see if they have come from out of town, with police confiscating visitors’ identification cards until they have returned to their own homes. Village residents wishing to visit relatives or seek medical treatment in other places must first obtain a letter from village police describing past political involvements, according to police officials.

Other measures have contributed to the widespread perception that Uighur identity is under siege. Schools have largely switched to using Mandarin as the main language of instruction instead of Uighur, and the government has begun offering cash and housing subsidies to encourage marriages between Uighurs and Han, the country’s ethnic majority, who have migrated to the region in large numbers.

These are some links to social media accounts that help share our ordeal.

https://www.facebook.com/muslimfromchina/

https://www.facebookcorewwwi.onion/Solidarity-with-East-Turkistan-نصرة-لإخواننا-في-تركستان-99779733047/

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11 Comments

Amatullah

June 14, 2016 at 7:29 AM

Is there anything other than dua that we can do for them?? Making a petition? Anything at all? My heart is saddened by this. Ya Allah, ease the troubles of our brothers and sisters

Reply
- Muhammed
  
  June 17, 2016 at 2:26 AM
  
  The situation is getting worst. Many countries do not like to talk about them, because they want to keep good relationship with China. I am an Uyghur muslim from there, even i don’t know what is happening to my family because of i am at the oversea, it is not easy to go back for visit them.
  Every time i hear people say: May allah help you, i feel sad…
  
  Reply
- Divya
  
  June 14, 2018 at 7:24 AM
  
  Its not the issue of being muslim or whatever. Its more of being human. no one can deny your rights. and well all humanitarian organizations need to see to it.
  
  Reply
Pingback: Life of Uyghur Muslims In China » World Uyghur Congress
M

June 14, 2016 at 10:05 PM

SubhanAllah! This is very sad indeed. There has to be something we can do for them besides Du’a. Is there a particular reason why China is treating this region this way??

Reply
- Hacer
  
  June 15, 2016 at 11:56 PM
  
  This catastrophe has been going on over a century. I don’t think there’s a particular reason from Chinese government side. They want to erase all aspects and values of Islam from Uighurs life so they will have to integrate totally by forgetting their language and religion with Chinese and Uighurs will be extinct. Under this cruel Chinese regime Uighurs are trying to preserve their religion and values for the sake of their life and the whole Muslim world is just watching.
  
  Reply
vita

June 17, 2016 at 3:06 PM

I believe the development of Islam in China will grow rapidly . umroh desember 2016

Reply
Aafia

June 28, 2016 at 6:00 AM

Here are few Comforting Verses to the Oppressed Uyghur Muslim of China from Quran:http://islamhashtag.com/muslims-in-china/.
May Allah grant you patience and help you succeed in the akhirah.

Reply
paki

July 11, 2016 at 10:42 PM

pak-cheen dosti zindabad

Reply
- Mota Aloo
  
  August 6, 2016 at 8:08 AM
  
  Grow up please.
  
  Reply
Abdul Muheet

August 11, 2016 at 2:40 AM

If this discrimination continues soon the feud will be start, China is an area of homogenous culture, neither you can stop any movement nor you can efface the love of religion from the heart of believers. If you do so, then that that will result violence and grudge, that will not be in the interest of China, we hope that China will include all the minorities in the main nation stream and will stop the oppression. Being a Human(Muslim) I pray and hope that China will stop these tyranny and as a Pakistani I pray for a prosperous and violence free China. Great respect for Muslims and Great respect for China

Reply