Compare two letters to the UN Human Rights Council sent in in July 2019. The first from 22 states (UK, EU states, etc) is critical of China about the Uyghurs; the second from 50 states (including most Muslim majority states) praises China’s treatment of the Uyghurs. See The “22 vs. 50” Diplomatic Split Between the West and China Over Xinjiang and Human Rights for background to letters.
Also see Resolutions passed at 46th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation held 1-2 March 2019 in UAE. All 57 majority Muslim states are members of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (IOC). The first resolution, RESOLUTION NO.1/46-MM ON SAFEGUARDING THE RIGHTS OF MUSLIM COMMUNITIES AND MINORITIES IN NON-OIC MEMBER STATES:
“Welcomes the outcomes of the visit conducted by the General Secretariat’s delegation upon invitation of the People’s Republic of China; commends the efforts of the People’s Republic of China in taking care of its Muslim citizens; and looks forward to further co-operation between the OIC and the People’s Republic of China.” (Paragraph 20)
It’s difficult to believe that the Islamic world would be commending China if its treatment of the Uyghurs is tantamount to genocide as portrayed in the West.
When Erdogan visited China a year or so ago he played down the issue though he had been very critical in the past – see https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/05/asia/turkey-china-uyghur-erdogan-intl-hnk/index.html.
This 2019 CNN report includes the following:
“The Turkish leader said he had discussed the “Uyghur issue” with Xi, but cautioned that when the issue is “exploited” it reflects “poorly on the Turkish-Chinese relationship.”
“Those who exploit the issue, those who try to gain something from the issue, by acting emotionally without thinking of the relationship that Turkey has with another country, unfortunately end up costing both the Turkish republic and their kinsmen,” he said, during a question and answer session with reporters.
Turkey has a large Uyghur population and the Turkic-speaking, predominantly Muslim, ethnic group has strong ties to Turkey and other central Asian countries. Thousands of Uyghurs have sought sanctuary in Turkey since the crackdown began.
CNN Fri July 5, 2019
Links to other articles on the Uyghur issue are in the link below. I’m inclined to trust those written by Grayzone and Moon of Alabama, whom I’ve been reading for many years.
Though it is not mentioned in western media, it may be the case that complaints about Uygur mistreatment today, including forced sterilisation, are connected with the fact that Uyghurs, like other ethnic minorities in China, used to be free from the one-child policy (which was applied to Han Chinese only) but the two-child policy introduced about five years ago is applied to all racial groups.
Letter from the 22 states:
Letter from the 50 states:
Links to other articles on the same topic:
Labour Affairs 