What American Muslims Can Do To Help the Uyghurs

The reality of internment camps seems horrifically dystopian. Yet, history can attest that such bestial phenomena are committed by humans time and time again. The global audience fails to denounce these crimes until it’s too late or listlessly as more lives fall victim.

Currently, in Xinjiang, a remote region in China’s far west, over one million Uyghurs are being detained in internment camps. Uyghurs are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority with their own distinct culture and language. According to the U.S state department and survivors, prisoners are subjected to torture, sexual and physical abuse, forced labor, death, reeducation, political indoctrination, and more.

Other atrocities, revealed through leaked documents and drone footage, show barbed wire fences, watchtowers, and people with shaved heads kneeling and blindfolded waiting to board trains. Laws have been passed prohibiting beards and women wearing veils. There has also been evidence of forced sterilizations and demolished mosques as well. 

The Chinese government has responded with a vehement denial and later lies claiming that they are vocational training centers, and later, necessary camps to prevent religious fanaticism. The evidence, however, paints the truth. Regardless of the blatant Islamophobia and xenophobia, and the political complexities that illustrate the incentives of the Chinese government, as bystanders, our silence will be recorded in history as complacency.

Living across the world in the United States whilst hearing of the pillaging of the Uyghur Muslims is not only disquieting, but it can make one feel forlorn in their efforts. Yet, our voices and the resources at our disposal are far more invaluable than they appear. Thus, in accordance with Islamic injunctions of establishing justice, and appealing to the core of our humanity,  the following are various ways to raise the alarms against the persecution of our Uyghur Muslim brothers and sisters. 

Educate and Understand

For our actions to have efficacy and to partake in tangible efforts, we must educate ourselves of the situation. Not only in terms of the fate of the Uyghur prisoners, but of the incentives of the Chinese government and the global ramifications. We live in an era of information overload. A quick google search and clarity is offered at our fingertips. The following is a list of resources to better understand the rationale of the oppressors and enablers. 

Here are some short videos to educate ourselves on the current situation:

And this as well:

Additionally, here are some written sources of information to better inform ourselves on EastTurkestan.net here and the UyghurPlight here.

Contact Your Local Representatives

Never underestimate the power you hold as a constituent. Use your voice and write a letter to your local representatives. The following are links to find out who your local representatives are and how to contact them:

Advertise on TMV

• Find Your Representatives (via CommonCause).

• Find Your Representative (via US Gov).

Write and Call the Chinese Embassy

Speak to them about closing concentration camps, the importance of protecting religious freedom, and familial respect.  

Embassy Contact Information:

Washington DC

+1-202- 495-2266

chinaembpress_us@mfa.gov.cn

Chinese Consulate Information:

• New York: +1-212-244-9392

• Chicago: +1-312-453-0210

• Los Angeles: +1-213-807-8097

• San Francisco: +1-415-852-5900

• Houston:+1-713-520-1426

Financial Support: Donate to End Uyghur Concentration Camps

Here are just some of the ways we can come together and help give to charity and help our Uyghur brothers and sisters financially:

• Ummah Welfare Trust: Uyghur Muslims
• UHRP: Uyghur Refugees
• Charity Right: Uyghur Muslims

You can also sig relevant petitions at:

• Save The Uyghurs

And support local Uyghur projects and organizations at:

• UHRP
• Uyghur American Association

Use Your Voice

• Call on companies to stop using forced Uyghur labor and boycott Chinese made products. 
• Inform and engage your local masjids and community centers.
• Offer your skills and volunteer for organizations that specialize in fighting for Uyghur rights. 
• Organize presentations and fundraisers.
• Get in touch with your universities and get them to divest from China. Raise awareness, and demand academic and financial support of Uyghur scholars and students. 

Lastly, the following is a link to more resources to educate yourself and to aid you in various action steps: 

• Save Uyghur: Resources

As mere individuals, it is far too easy to feel obscured and non-functional in the larger fabric of society. But similar to any other fine piece of craftsmanship, when one thread is yanked, the tear eventually mushrooms out. Whether you are only able to sign an online petition or you are someone that organizes in front of powerful leaders and buildings, the Uyghurs need us.

The Chinese repression of their lives and the flagrant ethnic cleansing should disrupt our own lives and ignite a fire to act swiftly. This is not a case of political dissent, rather of the very basic foundations of what comprises humanity. When you search the question of the plight of Uyghur Muslims today, you will be inundated with interminable articles, videos, and slideshows with eyewitness accounts, video footage, and undisputed proof of the terror being perpetrated in these camps. Thus, willful inaction is an indelible stain on the human race, and though time cruelly moves on, as Muslims we must remain hyper-aware that our faith is inextricable with challenging oppressors.