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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Emmanuel Macron’s plans to protect French values alienate Muslims. In Canada, the murder of Mohamed-Aslim Zafis raises fresh concerns about far-right violence. Our recommended read today is by Yasmeen Serhan on the urgency of saving Uighur culture from genocide. This, and more, below:
International
Saving Uighur Culture From Genocide | Recommended Read
The targeting of the Uighurs isn’t limited to the camps. Since 2016, dozens of graveyards and religious sites have been destroyed. The Uighur language has been banned in Xinjiang schools in favor of Mandarin Chinese. Practicing Islam, the predominant Uighur faith, has been discouraged as a “sign of extremism.” Beijing frames these moves as its way of rooting out terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism. But the aim of China’s actions in Xinjiang is clear: to homogenize Uighurs into the country’s Han Chinese majority, even if that means erasing their cultural and religious identity for good. What is taking place is a cultural genocide. read the complete article
In Wake of Recent India-China Conflict, U.S. Sees Opportunity
As the rivalry between India and China intensifies, the United States and India have taken their shared anger toward Beijing and forged stronger diplomatic and military ties that could alter the balance of power in the region. Officials note that while that friendship has been on an upswing over the past two decades, the border dispute with China has accelerated relations between the countries. But social justice advocates worry that the Trump administration is turning a blind eye to India’s rights abuses against Muslims under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, prioritizing military and geopolitical alliances over all else. “They are warming relations under the same authoritarian banner,” said Wasim Dar, who campaigns for rights of people in the disputed territory of Kashmir. “They’re prioritizing military, or hegemony, over any kind of human rights or political freedom.” read the complete article
China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims sparks anger near new embassy site in London
China's decision to move its British embassy from London's upmarket West End to the less glitzy east could have been a heart-warming tale of homecoming. The new mission will be built at the former Royal Mint, just a stone's throw from the city's original 19th century Chinatown. Just behind the former Royal Mint are the residential streets of Tower Hamlets, where four in 10 residents are Muslim, the highest proportion than in any other borough in the United Kingdom. Some there say the embassy isn't welcome until Beijing stops its alleged mistreatment of Muslims in China."The Muslim community is very linked with each other, regardless of what part of the world we're from. There's always a feeling of affinity from one community to the other based on shared values and shared faith. And that's no different for the Uyghur community." read the complete article
Australia
Victorian Government received 'assurances' forced Uyghur labour not used for state's new trains, Daniel Andrews says
Premier Daniel Andrews says he's been assured that forced labour is not being used to build Victoria's new trains, despite the train manufacturers' links to Chinese Uyghur forced labour programs. Chinese train manufacturer CRRC is part of the Evolution Rail consortium, which was awarded the $2 billion contract to build 65 new high-capacity Metro trains in 2016. In February this year, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) identified CRRC as one of 82 companies which were benefiting either directly or indirectly from the use of Uyghur workers through potentially abusive labour programs. Major international brands including Apple, Google, BMW, Calvin Klein, Polo Ralph Lauren and Samsung were also included on the list. read the complete article
Myanmar
Myanmar: Election Fundamentally Flawed
Myanmar’s electoral process is undermined by systemic problems and rights abuses that will deprive people of their right to fairly elect their government, Human Rights Watch said today. Parliamentary, state, and local elections are scheduled for November 8, 2020. Electoral problems include discriminatory citizenship and other laws that bar most Rohingya Muslim voters and candidates; reservation of 25 percent of parliamentary seats for the military; criminal prosecutions of government critics; unequal party access to government media; and the lack of an independent election commission and complaints resolution mechanism. read the complete article
India
Amnesty specialises in hard truths. No wonder Modi froze it out of India
This is now the case with India. Its rightwing populist prime minister, Narendra Modi, has erected an oppressive, Hindu majoritarian power vertical, where inclusive, secular traditions trailblazed by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru once proudly stood. Like Russia, Turkey, Iran and Zimbabwe, India has elected leaders, a representative parliament, independent judges, and a lawful constitution. And like them, this increasingly resembles a deceptive facade. Under Modi, the “world’s largest democracy” has become an eastern house of cards, dominated by Hindu nationalist knaves and jokers. read the complete article
Opinion | The Death of Human Rights in India?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government appear intent on squelching any independent scrutiny of India’s human rights problems. Last week, the government froze the assets of the human rights organization Amnesty International, claiming that the organization was in violation of Indian law. Its stated reasons aside, there is more than ample evidence that the government was irritated by Amnesty’s unfavorable reports on recent riots in New Delhi, India’s human rights record in Jammu and Kashmir, and the passage of recent legislation that could adversely affect Muslims. read the complete article
United States
Twitter bans posts wishing for Trump death. The Squad wonders where that policy was for them
The four progressive Democratic congresswomen known as "The Squad" expressed surprise on Friday night when Twitter posted about its policy against wishing harm or death to someone in light of President Trump's Covid-19 diagnosis. Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts have all spoken out about the threats they receive on social media and say Twitter isn't doing enough about it. read the complete article
Jazz's Rudy Gobert admits the truth on Chinese atrocities: 'Wrong is wrong'
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert on Thursday appeared to be the first NBA player to speak up about China in the midst of the league's ongoing social justice reckoning. Gobert shared a post on his Instagram Stories and wrote: “Wrong is wrong.” The NBA and China’s close relationship was brought to the light last fall when Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was reprimanded for tweeting “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong” as several NBA teams were overseas. Specifically, the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets were about to start a series in China. read the complete article