By Sema Yarar

All over the world, people speak of human rights, freedom, and equality. International organizations act as the so-called advocates of justice and humanity. But tragically, the echo of these words does not reach the borders of East Turkestan. Because there, humanity is being systematically destroyed in the shadow of silence.

A few years ago, we visited Münevver Uygur, the president of the Nuzugum Association. We had the opportunity to hear firsthand about the oppression inflicted by the communist Chinese regime on the Muslim population. What she described was blood-curdling. We had hoped this persecution would end, but unfortunately, it still continues.

East Turkestan...

These lands, a deep-rooted part of Islamic culture, are being crushed under China's iron fist. Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslim peoples are being forcibly stripped of their identities, beliefs, and cultures. Since 2014, the communist Chinese regime has been writing one of the darkest and most brutal pages in human history against the Muslims in the region.

More than a million Uyghurs are held captive in concentration camps operating under the guise of "vocational training centers." They are detained without any judicial process, without the right to a defense, simply for being Muslim. This is the largest mass detention of an ethno-religious community since World War II.

Allegations of torture, forced assimilation, brainwashing sessions, and sexual violence in these camps have been repeatedly documented in international reports. Women are subjected to forced birth control, and thousands are sterilized. Forced abortions have become commonplace news. The children who are born are torn from their parents and sent to boarding schools to be molded with a "Chinese identity."

For those who wish to practice their faith, the oppression is indescribable. Fasting is forbidden, praying is dangerous, and even growing a beard is considered a crime. Mosques are demolished, and gravestones are desecrated. Every individual who tries to preserve their faith is punished with the label of "radical" or "separatist." This is not just a so-called security policy; it is an overt cultural genocide.

While this is happening in China, the world, unfortunately, does nothing. A large part of the international community is silent on this crime against humanity. Why? Because it is a matter of interests, not conscience. China's economic power beats at the heart of global trade, so many countries choose to ignore this cruelty. The rhetoric of human rights is crushed under trade agreements and economic interests. This silence legitimizes China's oppression, paving the way for more suffering and more tears.

For Turkey, the situation is even more sensitive. Because East Turkestan is an inseparable part of our history, our faith, and our cultural heritage. Those who are oppressed and persecuted there are a part of our past. Yet, we too often remain silent in the name of diplomatic balance. However, to be silent is to side with the oppression. This persecution will not stop until the cries of the Uyghurs resonate in the conscience of Muslims.

To target a society's identity, language, religion, and culture is to destroy not just one people, but all of humanity. Because humanity finds meaning in the coexistence of differences. As China makes the Uyghurs victims of its "homogenization" project, it is in fact slaughtering the most fundamental values of humanity.

Forced assimilation is not just a cultural genocide; it is a spiritual genocide.

Today in East Turkestan, children are without parents, mothers are without their children, and fathers are in chains. Languages are silenced, prayers are banned, and identities are erased. And tragically, no one hears them, they cannot make their voices heard, or perhaps, no one wants to hear them.

It is time to see this tyranny. What is happening in East Turkestan is a test not only for one people but for all of humanity. Everyone who remains silent in the face of the oppression there is a party to this crime.

Trade relations, energy deals, strategic partnerships... None of these are more valuable than a child's tear or a mother's cry.

As the world remains silent, China grows bolder. But we must not be silent. Because history also judges those who remain silent.

https://dogruhaber.com.tr/dogu-turkistan-gercegi