China is in the process of spying on and detaining its Uyghur population in an attempt to wipe out all groups that are not traditional Hans Chinese. This creates a situation that is very dangerous for the Uyghur population, many of whom get snatched off the street for no reason and detained in what the Chinese have named “Re-Education Camps.” In these camps people are forced to eat food that is against their religion, may not speak in their traditional language, may not practice their religion nor comply with the religion’s precepts in an effort to wipe out the traditions of the Uyghur population. Many of those still in the community are watched everywhere they go. They are observed when they leave their home, where they go, when they return. In some homes the Chinese authorities have moved in a “guest” who watches what the inhabitants do and reports back if they are practicing their customs and religion. Even children are removed from the homes so that they can be educated in traditional Chinese customs and using Hans Chinese language. Uyghur women who get a marriage proposal from a Hans Chinese citizen are not allowed to refuse. At this time, it is reported that over a million people are confined in the camps and more and more camps are being built, not just near Xinjiang, but are spreading throughout China. Recently the New York Times was given documents detailing the “brutal crackdown” on the Muslim population. Below are links to articles that provide a picture of what is going on as well as a link to a movie provided by Radio Free Asia interviewing individuals who have either been released from the camps or who were able to get away.
Links to Articles:
The Documents That Were Leaked to the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/16/world/asia/china-xinjiang-documents.html
Between the Lines of the Xinjiang Papers (New York Times Article): https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/opinion/china-xinjiang-documents.html
The World Must Not Let the Xinjiang Whistleblower Down (Washington Post Editorial about the papers sent to the New York Times): https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/the-world-must-not-let-the-xinjiang-whistleblower-down/2019/11/20/ff933820-0a32-11ea-97ac-a7ccc8dd1ebc_story.html
Washington Post article on a Uyghur family who were exposed to the camps, the mother was detained but eventually released and the family escaped to Virginia. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/11/17/she-survived-chinese-internment-camp-made-it-virginia-will-us-let-her-stay/?arc404=true
In China, Every Day is Kristallnacht (Editorial about Xinjiang in the Washington Post): https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/11/03/china-every-day-is-kristallnacht/?arc404=true
‘Your god is Xi Jinping’: Uyghurs mocked and tortured in Chinese Internment Camps for Their Faith (An Article in the Washington Examiner by Jeffrey Cimmino, October 10, 2019) https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/your-god-is-xi-jinping-uighurs-mocked-and-tortured-in-chinese-internment-camps-for-their-faith
Film by Radio Free Asia: Behind the Walls – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reNx1IzTYfI
