MEND attend Stand4Uyghurs in Edinburgh and across the UK

On Sunday 31st July 2022 hundreds gathered on a sunny afternoon outside the Chinese consulate in Edinburgh to stand against the atrocities that are being inflicted on the Uyghur Muslims living in China, occupied territories and worldwide.

The rally took place in solidarity alongside many across the UK and internationally and was organised by Stand4Uyghurs which is a coalition-based campaign with over 100 partners worldwide. Their aim is to mobilise the community towards effective action for Uyghurs who are facing severe oppression by the Chinese state in East Turkestan.

At the rally, we heard from a range of speakers representing many organisations including the Muslim Council of Scotland, Scottish Muslim Media, MEND, World Care Foundation, and others. They spoke while the representatives from the Chines embassy harassed police to close down the rally, clear the streets and move protesters on.

But why should we care? We should care because China is systematically trying to eradicate Islam from the region. Uyghur Muslims are not permitted to practise their faith, they cannot pray, fast, celebrate Eid, or even Salaam their family.  One sister’s story was shared at the rally, the sister has been living in exile in the UK for many years, and over the past five years, she has been unable to communicate with her family who is still in China as she fears that simply picking up the phone and saying salaam to her family would cause her family to be removed to a detention centre or worse killed. Not even exile is a safe place for Uyghurs.

Not only can they not practise the faith, but Uyghur Muslims are also facing genocide in China. They are facing torture, rape and forced sterilisations. Their organs are being harvested for sale to the highest bidder and they are being used for forced labour. Their children are being forcibly removed to be raised by non-Muslims or husbands are being removed from the family home and non-Muslim men are being placed in the home to monitor the family. All this is going on while the world sits back and watches as China is a commercial superpower that they don’t want to lose ties with.

We must Stand4Uyghurs, we must stand together in the face of genocide.