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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Repression at home pushes Uighurs to flee to Istanbul, as HRW urges Bangladesh to roll back plans to fence in Rohingya refugees. An op-ed argues the World Bank is funding repression in Xinjiang. Our recommended read today is by Baroness Sayeeda Warsi on Islamophobia within the Tory party. This, and more, below:
United Kingdom
Opinion | Challenging Islamophobia? An event at conference tells me the Tories don’t care | Recommended Read
I now realise why the event’s headline had quotation marks. It wasn’t a meeting to challenge Islamophobia, but to challenge the very concept of it – suggesting it to be a dangerous, concocted idea being “weaponised” by extremists and a tool to shut down criticism of Islam. It ignored the harrowing tales of discrimination and prejudice I’d heard from victims as part of the parliamentary report Islamophobia Defined. When I first read reports on the gathering, I felt sick to my stomach at what went on. Later, as I listened to a recording of the event, I felt deep fear. Fear that a mainstream party has so lost its way that it would host such an event. Fear at the disingenuous way the Islamophobia report was presented, with no parliamentarian involved in producing it given a chance to respond. But, most particularly, fear at the manner in which British Muslims who dared question this panto of an event were treated. read the complete article
NUS President boycotts Tory conference over ‘sickening Islamophobia’
The NUS president is boycotting the Conservative party conference over claims of Islamophobia at a fringe event. Zamzam Ibrahim made the announcement in response to comments which she says show "sickening Islamophobia" made at the "Challenging Islamophobia" fringe event, run by the Policy Exchange thinktank. One person present said they were "jealous" of a fellow speaker being nominated as "Islamophobe of the Year". Afterwards, the speaker, Peter Tatchell said it was an ironic joke. read the complete article
China
Opinion | World Bank Loans Subsidize Chinese Repression
Last week Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Central Asian foreign ministers to “resist China’s demands to repatriate Uighurs” back to China, where the Communist government has subjected them to forced internment, cultural and religious “re-education,” and constant surveillance. Beijing claims to be fighting terrorism, but it looks more like an effort to wipe out a culture. In July Mr. Pompeo called Beijing’s campaign against the mostly Muslim Uighurs the “stain of the century.” It isn’t extreme to call this process cultural genocide. And it is part of a larger campaign across China to “Sinicize religion,” including Christianity as well as Islam. In two weeks the U.S. will have an opportunity to do something about it. read the complete article
The Capital of Xinjiang Is Now in Turkey
Experts estimate the Chinese government has placed up to 1.5 million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in political indoctrination camps in the past few years. Many of their children have been placed in what the government calls “boarding schools,” where they are taught Mandarin Chinese and “good life habits.” Beijing says its campaign is needed to root out terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism. But the seemingly arbitrary detentions, mass surveillance, and clampdown on religious expression suggest an aim to instill fear and strip Uighurs of their cultural and religious identity. “[China’s] treatment of the Uighurs should be called what it is: cultural genocide,” wrote James Leibold, an associate professor of politics and Asian studies at La Trobe University. read the complete article
Opinion | What Xi Jinping Hasn’t Learned From China’s Emperors
The early P.R.C., then, recognized and drew upon the Qing tradition with flexible approaches to diversity and sovereignty. But over the years, especially since Mr. Xi came to power in 2012, the C.C.P. has abandoned its relatively tolerant tradition while intensifying ethnic assimilationism and political rigidity. Today, rather than celebrating the uniqueness of individual cultures, the C.C.P. increasingly promotes a unitary category called “zhonghua,” a kind of pan-Chinese identity. Though supposedly all-inclusive, the customs and characteristics of “zhonghua” are practically identical to those of the Han. read the complete article
Bangladesh
Opinion | ‘Bilateral approach without powerful underwriting will not solve the Rohingya crisis’
A sustainable solution to the crisis is contingent upon the voluntary repatriation of the Rohingya people to their homeland in Rakhine state in Myanmar, with their safety, security and dignity ensured. After two failed attempts to set the repatriation process on its due course, it is difficult to be optimistic about a sustainable solution in the immediate future. Key to the repatriation, as the two attempts have made it abundantly clear, is convincing the Rohingyas of their safety upon returning home. Last July, there was a two-day international conference at North South University where different aspects of the crisis as well as the concept of a sustainable solution were discussed. More than 100 papers from 15 countries were presented at the seminar. One stumbling block to finding a sustainable solution, which was highlighted in the papers, seems to be the stubbornness in Myanmar in resisting reforms that are necessary. read the complete article
Bangladesh: Halt Plans to Fence-In Rohingya Refugees
The Bangladesh government’s plans for barbed wire and guard towers around Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar violate refugees’ rights to freedom of movement, Human Rights Watch said today. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan announced the plan on September 26, 2019, saying it was specifically ordered by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. While the authorities have a duty to protect camp residents, security measures should not infringe upon basic rights and humanitarian needs. The proposed measures do not meet the standards of necessity and proportionality for restricting free movement under international human rights law. read the complete article
International
Opinion | Saudi Arabia's plan to silence Khashoggi has backfired. It will forever haunt the kingdom
When MbS came to view a handful of Saudi businessmen as rivals, Saudi authorities detained and tortured them. After Saudi proponents of women's rights questioned the extent of MbS' commitment to their campaign, they found themselves imprisoned and subjected to sexual assault. The resultant Arab and Western headlines have done more damage to MbS than those activists and businessmen ever could. In the case of more significant challenges, MbS' heavy-handed tactics have continued to backfire. After the Houthis captured the capital of Yemen in late 2014, he launched a campaign to halt the Houthi advances and reinstall the Yemeni government backed by the United Nations. Five years later, the divisive Saudi intervention has caused thousands of civilian deaths, frayed Saudi Arabia's relationship with the United States, and failed to realise its objectives. read the complete article