Washington: The duplicity of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has been called out by the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile (ETGE) which condemned the grouping of 57 Islamic nations for working to build relations with China despite the latter’s ongoing genocidal campaign against Uyghur Muslims.
The ETGE reminded the OIC about how China is involved in crushing Muslims and Islam in occupied East Turkistan and asked why the Muslim world is silent over these developments.
The ETGE said it “vehemently condemns” the recent meeting of OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha with Ilzat Ahmatjan, Permanent Member of the Chinese Communist Party Committee in Occupied East Turkistan at the OIC General Secretariat in Jeddah.
“This meeting, which discussed further cooperation and the strengthening of relations between the OIC and the People’s Republic of China, comes amid China’s ongoing campaign of colonization, genocide, and occupation in the predominantly Muslim nation of East Turkistan,” it said in a statement.
The ETGE pointed out that since 2014, China has waged a relentless campaign against the Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other predominantly Muslim Turkic peoples in East Turkistan.
“This has involved the destruction and shutting down of over 16,000 mosques, banning Islamic practices, such as prayers, fasting during Ramadan, and even Islamic greetings and names, and the mass internment of millions of Muslims in concentration camps and prisons,” the statement said.
Quoting Adil Ablimit, Minister for Culture, Education, and Religious Affairs of the ETGE, the statement said, “The East Turkistan Government in Exile vehemently condemns the OIC’s cooperation with the atheistic Chinese Communist Party and their puppets in occupied East Turkistan. This flagrant betrayal is a stark violation of Islamic principles, human rights, and moral decency.”
He further added, “We demand an urgent reassessment and action by OIC and its member states to address the humanitarian crisis in Occupied East Turkistan. The Muslim World must not remain silent in the face of such gross injustice.”
The ETGE said following increased international condemnation of its campaign of colonization, genocide and occupation in East Turkistan, China has been expanding its diplomatic outreach to Muslim nations and organizations like the OIC, in an effort to whitewash and deny its ongoing campaign in East Turkistan.
Dr. Mamtimin Ala, President of the ETGE, expressed deep concern regarding the OIC’s engagement with representatives of the CCP.
“This meeting is alarming and represents a concerning direction in the OIC’s approach to the crisis in East Turkistan. The OIC should be a voice for the oppressed Muslims, not an enabler of their oppressors. The plight of East Turkistani people under Chinese occupation warrants urgent and sincere attention, not diplomatic engagements that serve to legitimize their suffering,” he said.
The ETGE again calls upon the OIC and its member states to reconsider its stance and engagements with the CCP and to align its actions with Islamic principles and values of human rights and justice, the statement said.
The ETGE remains steadfast in its commitment to the cause of independence, freedom and justice for Turkic peoples of East Turkistan and calls upon the international community to join in condemning and acting against China’s ongoing campaign of colonization, genocide, and occupation in East Turkistan, it added.
