A third example of a split in the Umma has to do with the reaction of Muslims, and non-Muslims, to the savage repression of the Uighurs and the campaign against Islam in China. Here is some of what the Chinese government has done:
The government in 2017 passed laws requiring all restaurants to stay open during Ramadan. Further, it has forbidden teachers, civil servants, and all those working in the public sector from observing Ramadan, and if any are caught doing so, “they will be dealt with.”
Muslims have been required to hand in their own Qur’ans to the government if those copies were published before 2012. The reason for this is that in 2012, the Chinese government prepared “new” Qur’ans, heavily censored, with the “meaning’’ of the verses that remained annotated by government experts so as to lessen their anti-Infidel message, and the commands to wage Jihad carefully “contextualized.” The only Qur’ans now legal in China are the versions published by the government.
Muslims in Xinjiang must request government permission to make the hajj. They are asked to register their age, job, health, and economic status. Strict guidelines are put in place for applicants, who must be aged between 50 and 70 and have lived in Urumqi, the region’s capital, for at least five years. They are thoroughly investigated by the government for their political views; anyone who has displayed the slightest hint of being politically unreliable is denied permission to go on the hajj.
Furthermore, all those who apply to go on the hajj must also pledge allegiance to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and to national unity (and therefore against Uighur independence).
Indeed, Muslims who travel abroad for any reason, not just for the hajj, upon their return are subject to particular scrutiny, especially if they have spent any time in Muslim countries. More than one million Uighurs — recent reports claim a figure of two million — have been placed in reeducation centers, subject to anti-Muslim propaganda, and forced constantly to express their loyalty to the Communist Party, lest they have been exposed to “subversive” ideas about Islam, especially if they have traveled abroad and met with non-Chinese Muslims, or have been exposed to dangerous Islamic websites online.
As for other restrictions on Islam, in Xinjiang, imams have been subject to public humiliation by being forced to dance en masse in public, and at the same time, have been forced to make an oath to keep children away from religion, and as public servants, paid by the state, the imams have been forced to brandish the slogan that “our income comes from the CKP, not from Allah.” Many of the imams were forced to wave Chinese flags during their ordeal. Speeches were made — it’s unclear from the reports if these were by Chinese government officials or by government-approved imams — in which young people were told both to stay away from mosques and that prayer, wherever it was said, was harmful to one’s health. Teachers throughout Xinjiang have been instructed to teach children to stay away from religion; retired teachers have been posted outside mosques during Ramadan to prevent students from entering.
Mosques have been required to push Communist propaganda, swapping inscriptions about Muhammad for red banners that declare, “Love the Party, Love the Country.”
Muslim men have been required to shave “abnormal” or “religious” beards. Punishment is strict; one man was sentenced to six years in jail for refusing to do so. Names given to children must not be “religious.” Twenty-nine names have been banned so far, such as Islam, Saddam, Mecca, Quran, Jihad, Medina; all are now strictly forbidden. Women may not wear any veils that cover the face; even women wearing only the hijab have been prevented in some parts of Xinjiang from using buses. Muslims are required to listen to the official state television (that carries anti-Muslim and pro-Communist propaganda), and cannot prevent their children from attending state schools, where anti-religion messages are strong.
And now we hear stories of those reeducation camps, where at least one million Uighurs are confined, and subject to non-stop anti-Islam and pro-Party propaganda. There were protests, all right, against this “reeducation.” A letter, signed by 22 nations, was sent to the president of the U.N. Human Rights Council and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, calling on China to end its massive detention program in Xinjiang, a group of 37 countries submitted a similar letter in defense of China’s policies.
In this letter, the signatories express concern about “credible reports of arbitrary detention” in Xinjiang and “widespread surveillance and restrictions” particularly targeting Uighurs and other minorities. The signatories call on China to uphold its national laws and international commitments, including those it has made as a member of the Human Rights Council, and “refrain from the arbitrary detention and restrictions on freedom of movement of Uighurs, and other Muslim and minority communities in Xinjiang.”
Those who signed that letter criticizing China include: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.
Then a second letter was sent to the same people — the president of the U.N. Human Rights Council, and the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights — supporting the right of China to treat the Uighurs as it is doing. The signatories expressed their opposition to “politicizing human rights” and reiterated China’s defense of what Beijing calls “vocation education and training centers” and critics call detention centers or “reeducation camps.” Reuters quotes a passage in which the signatories justify China’s efforts: “Faced with the grave challenge of terrorism and extremism, China has undertaken a series of counter-terrorism and deradicalization measures in Xinjiang, including setting up vocational education and training centers.”
This second letter in support of China was signed by 37 countries: Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Gabon, Kuwait, Laos, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
Eighteen of those countries are Muslim-majority, and they include several of the most important ones — Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE.
What does it mean when 22 non-Muslim states criticize the persecution of the Muslim Uighurs, while no Muslim states do, but 18 Muslim states are willing to support, by denying, that same persecution of fellow Muslims?
Why did these Muslim states do this? They have weighed in the balance their supposed loyalty to fellow members of the Umma, the Uighurs, with what good relations with mighty China can mean for them. They know the Chinese will not take kindly to those who criticize its policies. Muslim states are a particular worry for China, because their opposition might especially hearten the Uighurs.
What can the Muslim nations lose by criticizing China’s crackdown on the Uighurs? China is now the biggest importer of oil in the world; it carefully spreads its imports among more than a dozen states, and it could easily drop a few of its current suppliers — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman come immediately to mind — were they to have been critical of its Uighur policy.
As for Egypt, it is heavily dependent on Chinese aid, investments, and tourists. China has invested more than $20 billion in Egypt in recent years. The China State Engineering Corporation has been contracted to build 20 towers in New Cairo, including what is billed as the tallest tower in Africa, in a separate contract. The Chinese conglomerate TEDA-Suez is expanding its industrial zone near the Red Sea port of Ain Sokhna.
The number of Chinese tourists visiting Egypt more than doubled in 2017 to 300,000, from the year before, and in 2018, 500,000 Chinese tourists went to Egypt. In 2019, the Egyptians expect a similar increase from the year before; these visits are encouraged by the ever-expanding number of charter flights between the two countries.
All of that — the investments, the aid, the tourists — could have been lost had Egypt criticized China’s Uighur policy. The decision was easy.
Had the Pakistani government criticized the Chinese over the Uighurs, that would have had a catastrophic effect on the country. For China and Pakistan have forged a close military connection. China has far surpassed the US as the biggest weapons supplier to Pakistan. In 2018, Beijing declared its largest defense export deal, one worth $4 billion, to supply eight new submarines to Pakistan. China now calls Pakistan its “iron brother”; China is its main weapons supplier, as well as Pakistan’s preferred training partner for complex military exercises, including the use of modern technology for air battle. If Pakistan had dared to criticize the treatment of the Uighurs, it could have lost its most important arms supplier, and military ally.
In Turkey, resentment of the Syrian migrants has led to attacks by Turks on Syrian-owned stores; half-a-million of the one million Syrians in Istanbul have been given a month to return to the provinces where they are officially registered. Some Syrians have even been “escorted” back to Syria. The new mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, has described the Syrian refugee situation as a “severe trauma”; Erdogan has publicly noted, with chagrin, the huge cost to Turkey of funding these Syrians — $37 billion and counting.
In Lebanon, the Lebanese, weary of playing host, would like both the Palestinians and the Syrians to leave. They have just passed legislation requiring non-Lebanese to obtain work permits for any employment; the Palestinians promptly protested, hysterically describing this as “racism.” The Lebanese lack of enthusiasm for enduring the refugee presence has become palpable. The 1.6 million Syrians are also being urged to return home, now that the civil war has essentially ended. On May 9, Lebanese president Michel Aoun declared that Lebanon would never survive if half a million Palestinian refugees and 1.6 million Syrian refugees remained in the country. Many Lebanese, not only the Christians, agree with him. And meanwhile, the Syrians and the Palestinians in Lebanon vie for the menial jobs that are open to them, a competition that only increases the hostility they already feel for each other.
The last example of a splintered Umma is the failure of a single Muslim state to make common cause with the Uighurs. Not a single Muslim state signed the letter denouncing China’s mistreatment of the Uighurs, while 18 Muslim states supported China’s policy. Up until February, Ankara condemned China’s “reintroduction of internment camps in the 21st century.” But then, in July, on an official visit to China, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that Uighurs lead happy lives in China. He went on to say that some governments were seeking to “abuse” the Xinjiang crisis to jeopardize Turkey’s economic relationship with China. The Chinese knew that the Turks, closely related by ethnicity to the Uighurs, were the most important to convince not to criticize China’s policy. Chinese economic threats must have been enormous and in the end, Erdogan capitulated. Raison d’etat prevailed, with him as with every other Muslim leader.
These three examples suggest that in the end, despite all the talk of the unbreakable bonds among Muslims, those bonds can and do break, quite easily in fact. We have seen in Turkey, between Turks and Syrian refugees, in Lebanon among Lebanese, Palestinians, and Syrians, and in all the Muslim lands, where China’s economic power is felt and feared, and loyalty to fellow Muslims — in this case Uighurs — crumbles into dust. The Umma is not shatter-proof. If you are an Infidel, that’s comforting to know.
Buraq says
This has been a wonderful series of articles. Much needed.
The tough, extensive action taken by the Chinese government reminds me of the war to take down the Mafia in the US. They seemed invincible until the swingeing, comprehensive RICO laws were introduced in 1970 (the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act). Then they crumbled, big time.
That’s exactly what civilized societies need to do today: introduce tough laws that dig Islam up by its poisonous roots and fling it on the fire! Well done, the Chinese authorities!
william carr says
China has along history of insurrection against its rulers so the govt. believes in keeping things strictly under its control. It must also be pointed out that China is also very strict with other religions especially cults. A friend of mine had her passport with drawn for several years for being a member of some harmless cult, despite the fact she was also a member of the Communist Party. It is unfortunate that some Uighurs have been treated harshly but they have a remedy, just give up Islam!
Kepha says
China is nasty towards Christians as well. Even a few elderly foreign Communists going frum in their old age, plus a few hundred people in Kaifeng, Henan exploring their Jewish roots had the Communist Party anxiously noting “What happened to the Soviet Union when THOSE PEOPLE got uppity?” (back in the 1990’s).
I respect Chinese culture and history, I have family ties with the Han ethnicity, and Chinese is my best non-English language. But I am no fan of the Chinese Communist Party. It badly, badly, badly wants to revive 20th century totalitarianism. It still sees Stalin as a major hero, and is discovering Hitler as a model of nationalism.
J D S says
I have been harping out for a long time time that new laws need to be passed to control the influence of Islamist in the U.S. It will take new laws and their, enforcement also with laws already on the books, to address the Muslim problem….and whether our so called leaders want to admit it or not…There is muslim/islam problems and CREEPING SHARIA in one of them…..and THE WORLD STANDS STILL!
Oh I’m just blowing in the wind….a racist, bigot and islamophobic and nobody listens to a person with those attributes.
Prebangian says
“The only Qur’ans now legal in China are the versions published by the government.”
Didn’t King Abdullah II (Syria) do virtually the same thing when he forbade Jordan’s Imams from teaching the Jihadist verses of the Quran? Also, three hundred leading French intellectuals and President Macron also suggested that Islam update the Quran.
ntesdorf says
Those Qur’ans that the Chinese government made available after 2012 in a peacefully modified form could be a real export winner for the World, if Muslims could be persuaded to accept them.
rbla says
Apparently the Muslims are quite capable of controlling their fanatical elements when there are larger strategic issues involved. Even the bloviating Iranian mullahs, the “champions” of downtrodden Muslims and who threaten to destroy Israel over “maltreatment” of Palestinians are quiet as mice. C’mon fellahs, cat (or dog) got your tongues. They recognize that their first targets are the weakling infidels of the West. Other examples of Islamic pragmatism. Despite the fact that women are supposed to take a secondary role the imams give a pass to loudmouths Omar and Sarsour. They allowed Huma Abedin to marry an infidel, and a Jew in fact, for short term political advantage. They also allow Tlaib to go around without head covering. They are a lot smarter than the libtards and SJWs that dominate the West.
James says
I agree. I just put up an answer in Quora on Islam in America and a certain Linda said I know nothing at all about the topic. Well if that is so, then Robert Spencer, Bill Warner, Trevor Loudon, Brigitte Gabriel, Jamie Glazov, and all their friends and allies must be liars and fanatics. But I think it is the opposite. Linda, whoever she is, is probably another Muslim apologist of the Linda Sarsour, Ilhan Omar variety. in Minneapolis where I live the police appointed a Muslim to the police force to show multi-culti solidarity and confidence and respect for other religions. Within an incredibly short time he killed a woman who had called for police protection. Just another example of how oppressed innocent Muslims are in our country. And how much we have to open our society to dominance by sharia and mass Muslim migration. What could be better for a country of white racists like ours?
James says
I think the point of the article was not to praise China’s oppression of Islam but rather to show lack of freedom of religion. But one could perhaps take a bit harder line here in the West against the subversive tendencies in Islam. We might not have had massacres like that at Fort Hood, the Boston Marathon or the Florida gay bar attacks if there were a sense that freedom of religion cannot be an excuse to passive allow jihadi attacks on our society. There has to be a balance between tolerance and defense. There are plans by the Muslim Brotherhood to undermine American culture and society, and they seem to be doing pretty well so far. Tolerance seems to mean let them do whatever they want. Never mind what values your country has. Somehow the values of Islam should take precedence, because you have to respect other peoples’ religion, even if they despise your religion and want to undermine it.
jarmanray says
Well stated. ++++++1
Anjuli Pandavar says
As Buraq says, this has been a wonderful series exposing the myth of the contemporary “Muslim nation” (not to say “Nation of Islam”).
It’s a myth as old as Islam itself, for the moment Muhammad issued his last breath, the glorious umma fell apart, plunging the “Rightly-Guided Caliphate” into civil war, the Ridda Wars. The first act of the first caliphate, the umma united under one defender, was jihad against its apostates. Great start! Masha-Allah. And the pattern was set. The umma couldn’t put daggers and poison into the successive Defenders of the Faithful fast enough. And before long, one united umma toppled another united umma, and so on till there were three contemporaneous caliphates all hating each other’s guts. And then the united collapse into emirates, beyliks, taifa and, yes, still more caliphates, “Khalifah” a title coveted by every two-bit warlord who has said the shahada. So it should surprise no one that contemporary global Islam, in the form of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), should also throw the Uighurs under the bus in the way Hugh Fitzgerald describes:
“The Council of Foreign Ministers under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held a meeting in Abu Dhabi on March 1 and 2. It adopted a resolution on “safeguarding the rights of Muslim communities and minorities in non-OIC member states,” which included a positive reference to China…
The Council “welcomes the outcomes of the visit conducted by the General Secretariat’s delegation upon invitation from the People’s Republic of China; commends the efforts of the People’s Republic of China in providing care to its Muslim citizens; and looks forward to further cooperation between the OIC and the People’s Republic of China,” the resolution read.” — https://www.hongkongfp.com/2019/03/14/organisation-islamic-cooperation-commends-china-treatment-muslims/
Nice one, umma.
Raja says
Insightful and detailed article by Hugh.
Glad to know that the Ummah stands for opportunism,, euphemism and pure economics but saddened at the fact that it would pounce on the West at the slightest resistance to political Islam.
The West is the perfect breeding ground for Islam so as to be ready for the day of slaughter of infidels. Whereas China is too smart to be hoodwinked by Islamic elite.
jarmanray says
Regarding the Islamic dominated nations that support China, or at least do not criticize, can be summed up by one sentence that my wife likes to invoke, “Follow the money!” Burma and the PI on the other hand, have legitimate reasons to support China as both nations have to endure Islamic terrorism on a daily basis.
Dennis says
What is not ‘comforting to know’ is that the conduct of China all leads to its expectation of over-running this planet with its communist philosophy. While I do not support the Communist belief system, as it is despotic, domineering and without adequate justice, the Chinese see the same thing in radical Muslim beliefs. Therefore, they are doing everything that they think necessary to protect them from the adverse potential to their belief system represented by Islam. While I do not support their conduct, at least I can understand what is motivating it. Understanding that, I constantly wonder why we here in America do not recognize that the belief system of Islam intends to overthrow, dominate and end everything we consider sanctimonious here in America. Allowing these believers to promote their hate and violence against non-believers of Islam is happening now in the states, and we stand by doing nothing. Though it is good to know that the world of Islam is fraught with disdain among its own kind, what we are failing to see, and failing to stop, is the insidious movement of Islam that has already taken over Europe and other places, as there open door policy and do nothing about that “invasion” continues its march to overthrow those free world societies. Here in the states we need to recognize and accept what is troubling the Chinese, and we should begin protecting ourselves by prohibiting the promotion or preaching of anything that moves its believers to despotism and radical violent conduct to overthrow what we stand for!
Angemon says
Muslims vs Communists – whomever wins, we lose…
Relic says
power in both hands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW9Uudkx42g
gravenimage says
Is the Umma Shatter-Proof? (Part 3)
…………….
Muslims do not care about o0ther Muslims.
Chand says
Just proves that there is no monolithic entity called The Muslim World or even Islam. It is varied, fractured, contradictory at times, ambiguous, many layered, divided by nationality, ethnicity, sects, sub-sects, languages, geography, etc.
So there is no one ‘Muslim problem’.
UNCLE VLADDI says
Of course they won’t support any of their own lesser gangs when threatened by the world’s largest one. Islam is might-made right, after all; and, as all hypocrites are criminals, and all criminals are hypocrites, there is no honor among any of them.
janwog says
Little is said about Christian persecution in China. Government says Christianity is an ugly cult un- Chinese. In fact the first religion in China was the worship of Shang Di, the Unique and Emperor of the Heaven. There are narratives on tortoise shells dating more than 3500 years, very similar to Genesis, and can be assimilate to the religion of Noah:, like that of Abraham or Melchitzedek. In fact Shang Di, El Shadai and Yahweh are the same: God in ancient China: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA-AkJzpKmg&t=1s
In Summary Christianity has its root in Judaism, Judaism has its root in the religion of Noah common to Shang Di.
Xi Jinping’ s Neomaoist cult has its root in Western atheism of the 19th century. Maoism is in its essence not Chinese.
Kepha says
你写的完全对的! 并且,马克思,列宁,为何省何县的人呢?可惜Henry不了解基督教对所有霸道独裁制度当非常大的威胁也!
janwog says
Islam is kthe counter religion of Judeo Christianism.
Christopher Watson says
A very interesting series of articles.
Interesting how Islamic governments push for compliance until someone comes along who won’t play the game. Suddenly ALL Islamic governments are perfectly happy to comply, and in fact agree, with China that the Uighurs should behave. Perhaps our governments ought to take lessons from China and cease paying vast amounts of aid to muslim governments until they behave in a civilized fashion and start growing up.
OLD GUY says
If the Chinese communist see Islam and the Quran as a threat to their regimes, how can not western nations see the same problem. While I may not agree with the way China deals with this problem, the USA can handle it by stopping immigration of Muslims and deporting illegals and those who are criminals. It’s time we quit worrying about hurting Muslims feeling and begin telling the truth about the evil side of its leadership. If you are Muslim and you stand for peace and freedom of religion god bless you and please stand up against the Muslim teachings of hate and violence against those of other religions.
Kepha says
Modified Qur’an? OK if its in notes and commentary; but don’t play with the text. Communist states are notorious for this, and should be roundly condemned for it by all who love the study of important texts and history.
Back when I studied Chinese literature, Ba Jin’s _JIa_ was the first large novel we read. It was a HK reprint of a Mainland edition. Our teacher had read the original, pre-1949 edition, and noted that our edition had parts with working class characters smoking opium expunged. Why should that be a big deal? No challenge to the COmmunist worldview allowed! The Proletariat is siness! Blablahblahblah.
Islam is a blasphemy, but Marxism with power is as great an obscenity. Ecrassez-L’Enfame!
Darrell Lynch says
I fully agree with the Chinese stand on Muslims! This entire “religion” is based on lies, deception, and violence. The world cannot accept these animals in decent society any longer. While I personally do not subscribe to the Chinese Communist agenda, they do have to protect their country from the criminal element, Islam. As for me, I will fight Islam, in every one of it’s facets, until my dying breath, or their last drop of blood, I swear it to God!