New report says Chinese authorities detain, interrogate Uyghur Muslims for possession of Quran

A recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) exposed how possessing religious texts, such as the Quran, is being used as a reason for the interrogation and detention of Uighur Muslims.

The report alleges that Chinese authorities are using high-tech surveillance methods, to monitor and control the data of smartphones and flagging content which is classified as extremist.

57% per cent of the content which is flagged and used as a qualification of extremism, consists out of Islamic texts. Using the these digital markers to further persecute, find and in jail the Uighurs.

The Chinese government’s actions against the Uighur population have drawn condemnation from human rights organizations worldwide.

The United Nations estimates that up to one million Uighurs have been detained in China’s “re-education” centers, which the Chinese government claims are vocational training centers designed to combat extremism and terrorism.

The Chinese government has been accused of trying to erase the Uighur identity and assimilate them into the Han Chinese population through these programs.

The banning of religious texts such as the Quran is part of a broader effort to control religious practices in the region, including the destruction of mosques.

The HRW report suggests that the Chinese government’s actions constitute a systematic campaign of oppression against the Uighur population.

The report calls for international action to hold the Chinese government accountable for these human rights abuses and to protect the fundamental rights of the Uighur people.