[Amanina Matali]
Beijing’s intensified crackdown upon Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang, as reported in both local and international media headlines, is nothing new. The Chinese province of Xinjiang (literally translated “New Frontier”) represents a delicate multicultural territory comprised of 13 major ethnic groups, including the Han, Mongolian, Kazak and Turkic-speaking Uyghur peoples.
Throughout the history of modern China, the Uyghurs have been the target of repeated human rights violations, with the most recent chain of abuses being traced back to June 2009. Herein, protests by Uyghur students turned into chaos when military police intervened and escalated the situation, resulting in 197 deaths and 1,700 injured in the deadliest ethnic conflict in decades in China.
It is known that major Islamic states – such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh – have remained silent in the face of growing international concern over the increasing “Palestinisation” of Xinjiang. UN officials estimate that up to a million ethnic Uyghurs have been detained in re-education camps throughout Xinjiang.
US lawmakers have responded by supporting potential sanctions targeting the Chinese government, introducing the “Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019” Bill in the Senate and House of Representatives. This move prompted a response from China’s foreign ministry, which slammed US lawmakers for their alleged interference within the internal affairs of other countries.
Why Does the Muslim World Remain Silent?
Both the EU and US have applied unrelenting pressure and sanctions against Beijing in relation to the Xinjiang issue. Indeed, US lawmakers have encouraged US partners and allies to speak on the matter in multilateral institutions and international forums.
Since its last visit to Xinjiang in August 2009 the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has made no substantial statements or draft resolutions condemning Beijing. Is it truly possible that the intensified international campaign, and gross human rights violations by Beijing concerning Uyghurs, have not raised eyebrows among the governments of Muslim-majority countries?
Criticism against Beijing on the Uyghur issue has been far less forthcoming from Islamic countries than the West. Turkey, which has led favourable policies concerning the Uyghurs in the past, now remains largely silent as President Erdogan struggles to balance between political priorities and an economic crisis. Omer Kanat, Director of the Uyghurs Human Rights Project, explained that little can be expected from majority Muslim and Islamic countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan and even Saudi Arabia – with many choosing to “play it safe” rather than risk economic retaliation from Beijing.
Trade Ties
Unsurprisingly, China’s longstanding “unconditional” foreign aid policy has provided it with a unique position among developing Islamic countries, compared to that of the US and other Western nations. This has allowed Beijing to sidestep the human rights and governance issues of recipient countries, providing aid with “no strings attached” while building its influence abroad.
Accordingly, China has adopted the role of a key trading partner and aid provider to many Muslim-majority and Islamic countries. In July 2018, President Xi Jinping pledged a package of $20 billion in loans, and $106 million in financial aid to Middle Eastern nations. The development aid package comprised part of an “oil and gas plus” model seeking to revive economic growth throughout the region – from which war-torn countries such as Yemen, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria were set to benefit the most. The move served to highlight Beijing’s growing interest in and commitment to maintaining stability and peace throughout the Middle East.
Indeed, the impressive scale of foreign direct investment flowing from China to the Arab world – amounting to $30 billion in 2016 – has been effective in silencing any concerns among regional governments regarding China’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang. With Beijing obtaining over half of its worldwide crude oil imports from the Middle East, China has successfully supplanted the US as the Middle East’s key trading partner in terms of its energy demands.
Public Awareness
The remote north-west region of Xinjiang province remains under continuous heavy police surveillance, with Beijing aggressively restricting access to journalists. This has made it exceedingly difficult for the outside world to access and provide accurate reports regarding alleged human rights abuses against the Uyghurs.
The general Muslim population around the world seems to be either unaware or indifferent to the ongoing human rights abuses in Xinjiang, with such events being almost completely ignored by the media in Arab countries. As posited by American Muslim scholar, Omar Suleiman, “They are ironically being tortured for being too Muslim by China while the Muslim world seems to not see them as Muslim enough to fight for.”
Coincidentally, international journalists writing articles criticising Beijing’s treatment of the Uyghur population in Xinjiang have either had their visa applications rejected by the Chinese government, or suffered from delays during visa renewal. It is almost impossible to cover events in Xinjiang, as the police and security forces actively restrict the movement of reporters.
Criticism by Turkey
In February 2019, Turkey went on the offensive when its Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that the cultural and religion oppression in Xinjiang constitutes acts of human rights abuse. The statement embodied Ankara’s continued commitment to defending fellow Muslims despite threats from Beijing – bolstering Turkey’s influence throughout the Muslim world by sheltering 50,000 ethnic Uyghurs escaping persecution in China.
Most recently, negotiations between Beijing and Ankara have paved the way for an official visit by a Turkish delegation to Xinjiang in the near future. This surprising outcome came following President Erdogan’s July 2019 visit to Beijing, and has been interpreted as an attempt attempt by Erdogan to heighten both Turkey’s and his own influence internationally among fellow Islamic states. This contention is consistent with Erdogan’s record, with the Turkish leader taking the lead in repeatedly denouncing US and Israeli designs over Jerusalem. His actions may be indicative of a broader ambition to establish Turkey as the leading proponent of political Islam.
However, Turkey must move beyond mere words if it wishes to distinguish itself on the international stage. Indeed, as a leading country in the OIC, Turkey has the opportunity to table a resolution both in the OIC and at the UN condemning the abuse of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Beyond this, Turkey may further utilise its diplomatic arsenal to form a coalition to advocate for an international fact-finding mission to the region during upcoming sessions of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Summary
It is hoped that the Islamic world will be able to overcome its economic dependence on China and unite to address human rights abuses in Xinjiang. The international community’s capacity to respond is significantly limited by difficulties in accessing and attaining accurate information from within Xinjiang. China’s widespread economic influence among Middle Eastern and Islamic countries via its developmental aid packages and Belt and Road Initiative also poses a significant challenge.
Considering these political realities, a definitive solution requires that Islamic countries take collective action, to stand up and collectively defend the human rights of fellow Muslims abroad. From this, the OIC must be strengthened as a key multilateral forum, through which Islamic nations may voice their united concerns on ongoing human rights violations against Muslim Uyghurs. Doing so would preclude China’s tactical use of divide and conquer in defusing international criticism. For as the old adage goes: united we stand, divided we fall.
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Amanina Matali holds a Bachelor of Biomedical Science from the International Islamic University, Malaysia.