Arabs fail to address oppression against Uygur Muslims during China-Arab Summit

Uyghur Muslims face mass atrocities, if not genocide, at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). With Chairman Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia last week to meet with Arab leaders, these Muslim-majority countries had an opportunity to advocate for oppressed Muslims.

China’s abuse of Uyghur Muslims is well documented, but unfortunately, most Muslim-majority nations have been silent. Indisputable evidence from the United Nations documented a war against faith.

In August 2022, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued an assessment on human rights in Xinjiang. Months in the making, it found:

“Serious human rights violations have been committed in XUAR in the context of the Government’s application of counter-terrorism and counter-‘extremism’ strategies”.

In contrast, Muslim nations have rightly denounced Burma’s persecution of Rohingya Muslims and discriminatory policies in Europe and North America. But in the face of contemporary genocide in China, they are silent toward Beijing’s policies. 

Notably, silence instead of advocacy is not limited to the Muslim world; many non-Muslim governments also succumb to China’s intimidation and dollar diplomacy.