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Declaration for Uighur Muslims

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    World Affairs
  • Published
    26th Oct, 2021

Recently, 43 countries have signed a declaration, calling on China to ensure full respect for the rule of law for the Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang.

Context

Recently, 43 countries have signed a declaration, calling on China to ensure full respect for the rule of law for the Muslim Uighur community in Xinjiang.

Key-Points

  • The declaration was signed by the US and other countries accusing China of human rights violations and ethnic cleansing against the Uighur Muslims.
    • Similar declarations in 2019 and 2020 criticized China for its policies in Xinjiang, where the United States accused Beijing of carrying out genocide.
  • It also requested access to Xinjiang for independent observers, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
  • It noted the existence of a large network of 'political re-education' camps in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, where more than a million people have been arbitrarily detained.

China’s Stand

  • China has long denied allegations of ethnic cleansing. He also criticized the announcement and termed it as a plot to hurt China's image.
  • China says its camps are ‘educational centres’ where Uighurs are cured of “extremist thoughts” and radicalization, and learning vocational skills.
  • However, in actuality, they are brutal incarceration camps.

India’s Stand

  • The Indian government has maintained near silence on the Uighur crisis.

About Uighur Muslims

  • The Uighurs are a minority Turkic group of Muslims, whose origins can be traced to Central and East Asia.
    • The Uighurs speak their own language, similar to Turkish, and consider themselves culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian countries.
  • The Uighurs are regarded as one of 55 officially recognized ethnic minority communities in China.
    • However, China sees the community as a regional minority and denies that they are a traditional group.
  • Currently, a large number of Uighur people live in the Xinjiang region of China.
    • The vast majority of Uighur live in neighboring Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
    • Xinjiang is technically an independent region within China - its largest region, rich in minerals, and shares borders with eight countries, including India, Pakistan, Russia and Afghanistan.

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