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Thread: my view of the Uyghur Muslim situation in China. What I say wonât fully please anyone.
I say all of this sincerely as a Muslim, as an anti-imperialist, and as a socialist. â
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I say all of this sincerely as a Muslim, as an anti-imperialist, and as a socialist. â
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It's clear that hundreds of thousands of Uyghur Muslims are being interned in âde-radicalisationâ camps, and that their culture and religion are being suppressed in the name of tackling âseparatismâ in Xinjiang. That is unequivocally shameful and must be condemned.
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This repression is widely documented: itâs difficult to cover-up concentration camps. Itâs also hard to argue against the statements of escapees who describe being âbrainwashedâ, as well as being tortured for speaking the Uyghur language and reciting the Qurâan.
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Credible evidence exists of human rights abuses; we can ignore the obvious lies and unsubstantiated allegations. Chinaâs goal in this seems clear: it isnât about massacring Uyghur Muslims, itâs about forced cultural homogenisation (which is no defence!).
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Uyghur Muslims overwhelmingly view themselves as being East Turkestani, and they loathe the Chinese state and the impositions to which they have been subjected. Iâm sure that this, ironically, only fuels separatism and is a cause of any âradicalisationâ.
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These horrific abuses deserve condemnation. At the same time, people shouldnât be naĂŻve. It should be understood that this *longstanding* issue is currently being exploited as part of a belligerent, cold war drive against China in an effort to salvage US world dominance.
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The US-led âWar on Terrorââand the propaganda and demonisation that came with itâincreased Islamophobia exponentially. All the countries involved, including the UK, are responsible for countless atrocities against Muslims. A million deaths in Iraq alone!
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So, I won't be jumping on the âimpose sanctionsâ bandwagon. What right have countries like the US and the UK to impose sanctions on China? The bloodshed unleashed by Western imperialist countries over the past 20 years, against Muslims in particular, is unmatched.
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Am I to link arms with some of the most virulent and notoriously Islamophobic politicians in the world becauseânow that it suits their clandestine foreign policy goalsâtheyâre pretending to care about Muslims? I wonât do that, Iâm afraid.
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The human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslimsâand against any person or groupâshould be fought against. That is our duty as socialists. But we should never take our lead from imperialist aggressors who only ever speak with a forked tongue, especially about âhuman rightsâ.
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