P
eople often argue that history undeniably reportionate amount of Uighur men are taken from peats itself; that every mistake, every disrethe comforts of their homes and locked away, pungard for human life comes full cycle. China, ished for their religious practices. This is Chiwho is silencing the masses, imprisoning the innona’s way of forcing homogeneity and erasing the cent and denying allegations, has become a source culture of these Turkish muslims in Xinjiang. of evidence for these believers. This treatment reThis initiative is said to be the largest network of sembles the deplorable attitudes which were held internment camps since WWII, for ten to twenty peragainst the Japanese people in the U.S. during WWII. cent of Uighur Muslims in XinJiang are imprisoned In the Xinjiang province of China, Uighur muslims, within these camps. Millions of Uighurs have disapa minority Turkic ethnic group, are being persecutpeared with no trace or reason. There is no due proed without trial and taken from their homes. China’s cess of law that protects them -- China uses their rehidden internment camps lie in Dabancheng, where ligion and culture as a crime. These changes come as they’ve become enormous facilities imprisoning Uiramifications of Xi Jinping’s tightening grip on socighurs. Authorities are desperate to keep this a secret, ety. Uighurs do not maintain his idealistic loyalty to dismissing these massive camps as “re-education” sites the Communist Party because they put their faith and where Uighurs are placed in classes designed to edufamily above the party. This coincides with the prejucate them on correct behavior. The term “re-educadice Uighurs have faced outside of these internment tion” is a euphemism for the sinister treatment against camps, inhibiting the freedoms of daily life and submuslims within these internment camps. State-run jecting them to discriminatory practices. Ethnic promedia has created propaganda showing “students” filing has incurred numerous travelling restrictions gratefully accepting clean classroom environments for the Uighurs, who are stopped at vehicle checkand coursework, despite the gruelling circumstances points and forced to give up their passports, however, Uighurs are truly under. This facade has supported the the Han Chinese do not face these travel limitations. Chinese government’s activities of criminalising Islam The term “re-education” is a euphemism for the sinand stripping away the religion from its inhabitants. ister treatment against muslims within these internOverpopulated and horrifying, these camps function ment camps. Fear infiltrates all areas of life for Uias a tool for erasure towards Islam. Uighurs are forced ghurs, where missing family members, imprisonment to eat pork and drink alcohol, which is prohibited by and restrictions on religious practices are commonIslam. Furthermore, they must perform tasks unwillplace for them. There is no telling when prisoners will ingly, such as learning Mandarin, singing Communist be released or for how long Uighurs will be mistreated. Party songs and participating in training programs that There is not much their society can do but wait for the attempt to assimilate them into Han Chinese culture. world to understand their struggle and to speak up for Women can no longer wear headscarves or name their them. Uighurs need people to see how China is children Islamic names. All freedoms have vanished trying to erase their identity and punish and fear has taken its place. And what are the circumthem for expressing themselves. stances if they refuse; torture, starvation or even death. Will history repeat itself, Children between the ages of six months to twelve or will people listen years old are brainwashed into turning against their and change it? families and assimilating into Han Chinese culture. The children are locked up and separated from their family, taught to forget their heritage, culture and family, thus annihilating the future of the Uighur population within China. ief Uighur women are forced h c n to marry Han men, or-i t i while a disprod e
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