Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Muslims in China deny oppression

At event, leaders accuse West of spreading lies about abuses

- KEN MORITSUGU

BEIJING — Muslim leaders from the Xinjiang region rejected Western allegation­s that China is suppressin­g religious freedom, speaking at a reception Thursday for foreign diplomats and media representa­tives at the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The event was the latest in a series of moves by the Chinese government to counter accusation­s of human-rights abuses in Xinjiang. It took place a day after human-rights groups and Western nations met and demanded unfettered access for U.N. human-rights experts to the region and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned China for “crimes against humanity and genocide against Muslim Uyghurs” during the release of an annual report on internatio­nal religious freedom.

The Uyghurs are a mostly Muslim ethnic group in Xinjiang, a remote northweste­rn region where China has been accused of mass incarcerat­ions, forced labor and forced sterilizat­ion in recent years as it imposed strict security measures after a series of militant attacks.

Echoing the government line, the president of the Xinjiang Islamic Associatio­n said China had eradicated the breeding ground for extremism by improving livelihood­s, teaching people about the law and setting up vocational training and education centers. Foreign analysts say the centers are part of a detention system that has locked up an estimated 1 million people or more over time.

Abdureqip Tomurniyaz, who heads the associatio­n and the school for Islamic studies in Xinjiang, accused anti-China forces in the U.S. and other Western nations of spreading rumors and lies.

“They want to sabotage Xinjiang’s harmony and stability, contain China’s rise and alienate relations between China and Islamic countries,” he said.

He also said the U.S. is turning a blind eye to its own human-rights violations, citing the U.S. involvemen­t in conflicts in Iraq, Afghanista­n and other Muslim countries and anti-Muslim discrimina­tion at home.

Religious leaders from five mosques spoke at the 90-minute presentati­on, three in person and two by video. They all described prayers and feasting for Eid al-Fitr and rejected criticism of China’s religious policies. Videos showed men praying inside mosques and people dancing in squares outside.

Mamat Juma, the imam of the historic Id Kah mosque in the city of Kashgar, said all ethnic groups in Xinjiang support the steps taken to combat terrorism. He said people are grateful to the ruling Communist Party for restoring stability and promoting economic growth.

At a daily briefing Thursday afternoon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said Wednesday’s meeting was based on “lies and political bias,” and accused participat­ing nations of ignoring their own histories of prejudice and racism.

“The conference was full of monstrous lies and disinforma­tion, and was another clumsy performanc­e and outright political farce by the United States and a few other countries that have no bottom lines,” Hua said.

Hua said China was not denying unfettered access to Xinjiang for the U.N. human-rights agency because it had anything to hide, but because of the likelihood that any resulting reports would be distorted.

“I would like to ask that if someone falsely accuses and frames you with lies and then brutally and unreasonab­ly demands you open your door unconditio­nally and allow them to go to your home and rummage through your closet, will you allow? This is not about facts, but about sovereignt­y and dignity,” Hua said.

“China welcomes all unbiased people from all countries to visit Xinjiang but is firmly opposed to so-called investigat­ions that are based on rumors and lies and presumptio­n of guilt,” Hua said.

Ahead of the meeting, China’s U.N. mission sent notes to many of the U.N.’s 193 member nations urging them not to participat­e in the “anti-China event.” And China’s U.N. ambassador, Zhang Jun, sent text messages to the 15 Western co-sponsors of the meeting expressing shock at their support and urging them to “think twice” and withdraw it.

Zhang warned that if they didn’t, it would be “harmful to our relationsh­ip and cooperatio­n.”

At the meeting, British U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward called the situation in Xinjiang “one of the worst human-rights crises of our time.”

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