The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned on Wednesday Chinese authorities’ ongoing suppression of the Muslim community in Xinjiang. The civil rights and advocacy NGO accused the Chinese government of attempting to “erase” Uyghur culture, the Chinese Muslim ethnic minority, by renaming their villages to reflect the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ideology.
CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper asserted, “This name change campaign is clearly part of the Chinese government’s ongoing attempt to erase Uyghur culture and its Islamic heritage. The international community, and particularly Muslim-majority nations, must take action to stop this genocidal campaign.”
The condemnation extends to Chinese authorities’ actions such as the removal of a dome from a mosque in Yunnan and its substitution with a “Chinese-style pagoda,” alongside a crackdown on Eid Al-Adha celebrations in Xinjiang. CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison urged the international community to take action against China’s “Sinicization” of Islam in the Muslim-majority region.
The condemnation follows a newly published report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Norwegian NGO Uyghur Hjelp, documenting the Chinese government’s systematic erasure of Uyghur culture and religion in 630 villages. HRW claims the name changes have significantly impacted Uyghurs residing in those villages, and highlighted the consequent violation of Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects the rights of ethnic, religious, or linguistic minorities to “enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own language.”
The Chinese government’s treatment of ethnic minorities has faced multiple condemnations. In January, HRW reported that the authorities tightened control over Uyghurs’ religious practices with new regulations under the “Sinicization” plan. Another HRW report in November 2023 documented the increased closure of mosques in northern Ningxia and Gansu, violating religious freedom. The Chinese government has also been criticized internationally over an alleged genocide against Uyghur people.
In addition, the EU recently expressed concerns about the human rights situation in China, particularly in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong during the 39th session of the Joint Human Rights Dialogue in Chongqing. They highlighted issues involving unlawful detention, enforced disappearance, torture, and ill-treatment of people belonging to religious, ethnic, and linguistic minorities, and noted that several human rights defenders and lawyers have been “deprived of their liberty” for promoting and protecting human rights.