Qatar breaks with Beijing over Muslim detention

QATAR has reportedly rescinded its support of Beijing for detaining millions of Uighur Muslims, in a fresh split among Islamic states over how to handle the mass persecution by China.

The small Gulf state was initially among 37 countries – including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt – that wrote to the UN to defend China’s detention of Muslims as legitimate “counter-terrorism and deradicalisation measures”.

Qatar is now changing course and has written to the United Nations Human Rights Council asking that its name be withdrawn from the supportive letter, according to Bloomberg.

Ali al-mansouri, Qatar’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, said: “We wish to maintain a neutral stance and we offer our mediation and facilitation services.”

Muslim states have been deeply divided over how to respond to China’s round-up of an estimated two million Uighur Muslims.

Turkey has condemned China and accused Beijing of “torture and political brainwashing in internment camps”.

But other leading Muslim countries, notably Saudi Arabia, have insisted that China is justified in its approach and praised the Chinese government for instilling “a stronger sense of happiness, fulfilment and security” among Uighur Muslims.

Qatar’s move takes it to a middle position, where it is no longer openly praising China, but nor is it outright critical.