Muhammad Ehsan
In recent years Chinese Gov
ernment under the leadership
of President Xi Jinping have taken big leaps to safeguard the economy and poverty alleviation strategy to uplift the living standards of people. China has pulled 754 million people out of poverty including those of minorities. Incidence of poverty has dropped from 10.2% to 0.4%. Muslims across China have been united and been given equal rights and opportunities as other ethnicities.
While China was fighting the Coronavirus in the past few months, there have been some noises by Western media. Some attacked the training center as “prisons” or “concentration camps”, which “seriously violated human rights”. In this regard, one of the big events took place early this Year on 5th February, United States along with 26 countries launched the International Freedom Alliance (IRF Alliance). On June 20, 2018 US announced withdrawal from United Nation Human Rights Council and want to establish its leadership by the new Alliance. The launch comes a few months after on July 18, 2019, at the second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington DC, Secretary Pompeo announced new initiatives including the creation of the IRF Alliance. At the launch of this Alliance, Secretary Pompeo seemed to take advantage of this platform and use it against countries specially against China by highlighting the Uighurs in Xinjiang and Yazidis in Iraq, Hindus in Pakistan, Christians in northeast Nigeria, or Muslims in Burma” and “the Chinese Communist Party’s hostility to all faiths including Uighurs in Xinjiang and Falun Gong minorities in China and Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia.
In first week of June President Trump issued an executive order that ensures international religious freedom. While making this Alliance US government and Alliance member countries forgot the atrocities by India in Kashmir and killing and torturing of Muslims, devoid the basic human rights of Muslims in India and by putting a curfew in occupied Kashmir for last 10 months, and violence by Israel in Palestine occupying illegally the Muslims houses and So called War on terror by US which has killed thousands of Muslims around world and left millions of Muslims houseless in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan & Iraq. After the series of incidents, the United States has greatly reduced its image of the so-called “human rights defender” in the international community due to its own human rights situation currently in “Black americans”.
Among those who make voices, some have never been to Xinjiang, their allegation is based on rumors or imagination; some have hidden motives, who intentionally twist the truth to discredit China or provoke conflict between China and Muslim countries by linking the effort of Chinese government in maintaining social stability with “religion repression”.
After the origination of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th Century AD it was soon introduced to China. At the end of 9th & beginning of 10th Century Islam was introduced to southern Xinjiang and quickly established in the society of Xinjiang. Since 1953, Chinese Muslims have successfully established “China Islamic Association” and local Islamic association at all levels, publishing and independently distributing the “Chinese Muslim” magazine, and printing the Islamic Holy Books “Holy Quran” and “Hadith”. After the China reforms and Opening up, Chinese Muslims actively participated in the political, economic and cultural construction of the
As the nearest place to Pakistan and starting point for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the hub area of the “Belt and Road” Initiative, Xinjiang is facing unprecedented opportunities for development.
To date Muslims in China have been using the Charity “Zakat” to be part of implementation of spirit of the 19th National Congress of party and actively participate in “China’s Poverty alleviation strategy”. The leaders of National Islamic Association established the China Islamic Association Charity Committee and participated in donation ceremony for the poverty alleviation and also to contribute in the Government mission to combat the COVID-19.
Since the Coronavirus outbreak, on the call of President Xi’s strong leadership China Islamic community and Muslims have actively participated in the social charity. According to statistics, as of 3rd March 2020, the National Islamic community and Muslims have donated a total of 108 million yuan. Pakistan Government passed a resolution to support China in fight against Covid-19 and also immediately send all the reserved supplied of masks, gloves, protective kits to China, and PM Imran Khan showed complete support to China.
The international community speaks highly of China’s Xinjiang policy. Since the end of 2018, over 1,000 representatives have visited Xinjiang in more than 70 groups, including officials from the United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and government officials and media groups from Pakistan, Malaysia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and various countries, regions and international organizations, and people from the press, religious groups and the academic circle. visited Xinjiang and met face-to-face with the trainees. They witnessed how local Muslims lived and worked in peace and fully enjoy the freedom of religion. They highly appreciated the ethnic and religious policies of China, and firmly supported China’s preventive anti-terrorism and deradicalization efforts. In October, at the Third Committee session of the 74th UNGA, more than 60 countries commended in their statements the tremendous human rights progress achieved in Xinjiang, China. In Pakistan minorities have been fully safeguarded and given the equal rights to Hindu, Christians, Sikhs and other minorities have complete freedom to worship. The allegations by the IRF Alliance are baseless. Prime Minister Imran khan recently inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor and Worship place for the Sikhs which was highly appreciated by the International community and by the United Nation General secretary on his visit to Pakistan. Pakistan and China are brotherly countries and stand together to safeguarded the integrity and specially the public opinion about historical project CPEC. Working hand in hand, China and Pakistan will play a more positive role in safeguarding the security of the two brotherly countries, as well as the peace and stability in the region by promoting the harmony among different religions.