On December 30, the Global Imam Council (GIC), a Muslim religious leader, held the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing for Muslims because of Uighur oppression in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. Participation and participation are prohibited.
GIC is the world’s first and largest cross-border non-governmental organization of Islamic religious leaders from all Islamic denominations and schools of thought, with more than 1,300 members worldwide. According to the website.
In a statement entitled “GIC Statement on the 2022 Winter Olympics” on Thursday, GIC President Imam Mohammad Bakir Albudairi said the Beijing Olympics were “dedicated to the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Uighurs. It directly contributes to the interests of the oppressive administration. ” .. “
“The Global Imam Council stipulates that participation and attendance in Beijing in 2022 is prohibited,” he wrote.
“We have endorsed and united the oppressed Uighur Muslims. The Chinese government continues to violate the basic human and rights of Chinese Muslims through oppression, torture and dictatorship.” President GIC added in a letter.
The move took place last month after the Biden administration announced a US diplomatic boycott for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing because of the ongoing human rights crisis in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. US athletes will continue to be allowed to compete, but the US will not send an official delegation to the event.
The Chinese government has been accused of committing genocide and human rights violations against Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It denies such accusations, including allegations of forced labor in the area.
Former Uighur detainees were previously forced to pledge allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) while they were tortured, accused of faith, and often detained for unknown reasons in overcrowded facilities. I told the Epoch Times.
Other ethnic minorities such as Uighurs (mostly Sunni Muslims), Tibetans (mostly Buddhists), and followers of other beliefs such as House Christians and Falun Gong practitioners have long been targeted by the CCP. Has been done. Its theoretical social policy for change by “re-education of thinking”, also known as brainwashing.
“We praise the increasing number of organizations boycotting the 2022 Winter Olympics and reaffirm our solidarity with the World Uyghur Congress. In addition, we have expressed support for Muslims in the event of a disaster. We would like to thank the many religious leaders and religious groups that have been lost, “concludes the GIC statement.
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Isabel van Brugen is an award-winning journalist and currently a news reporter for The Epoch Times. She holds a Master’s degree in Newspaper Journalism from City University of London.