Uighur Muslims are seen as threats and are being held in concentration camps
By: Zayna Jamaladdin
April 16, 2021Uighur Muslims, a group that makes up one of China’s 55 ethnic minorities, have been held in concentration camps since 2015 because China claims that they are a terroristic threat to the country.
These concentration camps have been going on too long for some people not to know and this situation is only being taught and told to some people. Even many in the Muslim community don’t know the full extent of the situation. Sr. Elly of the Iqra Institute, in Trooper, PA has discussed the topic briefly with her older students but it’s not part of their curriculum.
Many Muslims around the world, including in Philadelphia and the surrounding area, are trying their best to help spread the word and help to set the Uighur Muslims free.
“We have started go fund me’s and have been talking about this at some masjids in the area after jummah prayers and also making reminders to help them and donate” said Sr.Elly, Iqra teacher.
The Chinese government had gotten away with having these concentration camps and the United States government is now attempting to bring the atrocities to an end.
"The State Department declared on Tuesday that the Chinese government is committing genocide and crimes against humanity through its wide-scale repression of Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in its northwestern region of Xinjiang, including in its use of internment camps and forced sterilization.”“Long time ago chinese government was run smoothly but once they got new people on board things changed and the system has been corrupted”, said Nina who lived in china for a while and has family that lives there.
The Uighur muslims are going through a lot while in these concentration camps. “They are forced to give up their religion and do things that go against their religion like drink alcohol and eat pork and they are not allowed to pray there 5 daily prayers.They are also raping the women so that they will have more children and greater the population, there are already about a million people in these concentration camps.“China has been mass sterilizing Uighur women to suppress the population and separating Uighur children from their families.The thing that we can do know that would help the most is just trying to spread the word.“As a organization we are informing everyone that we know and we hope that with everyone's help we can set the Uighurs free”
Showing that the U.S accused china of a genocide not much has been done. “If it wasn’t for these Islamic Schools our students probably know what is happening with muslims around the world because most people just think we are terrorists and oppressed”. Sr.Elly from Iqra Institute.
