How NYC Students Are Fighting for Uyghur Muslims
Words by Fabliha Hussain
Graphic by Aspasia Celia Tsampas
It is not uncommon to see posts on Instagram and other social media platforms concerning the Uyghur Muslims, but many still do not know a lot about them. The Uyghur Muslims, alternatively spelled as the Uighurs, are an ethnic group from East Turkestan who largely reside in the Xinjiang region, an autonomous area of China. About eleven million Uyghurs live in Xinjiang. Although one may think that this region allows the Uyghurs to have autonomy, it is actually similar to Tibet, another “autonomous” region that is under the strict control and governance of China.
The Chinese government has gone as far as persecuting Muslim minorities like the Uyghurs. Starting about six years ago, Uyghurs have been arrested and sent to re-education camps. The government has claimed that they display terrorist behaviors, which include praying outside of mosques, having long beards, and having many children. In 2014, the Uyghurs were banned from fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. In 2017, President Xi Jinping announced that religions in China must adhere to Chinese orientations, essentially condemning Islam, which the Uyghurs follow. In 2018, the United Nations found an inside source that reported at least one million Uyghurs were being held in camps and denied release until they show “altered thinking.” The true number of people in these camps, however, is unknown, but leaked documents mention “crowded facilities.” Reports from those who have escaped from the camps say that they were forced to denounce Islam, sing praises for communism, and learn Mandarin. They have also reported being subjected to torture and sleep deprivation and claim that many women often experience sexual abuse.
In response to the plight that the Uyghurs are facing and a lack of awareness about what is going, Zalal, a freshman at The CUNY Macaulay Honors College, and Lamia, a senior at Stuyvesant High School, established an organization called NYC Students for Uyghur Justice (NYCSUJ) this past July. Starting with only two people, Zalal and Lamia reached out to their friends and the community; their organization has since grown to over thirty people. NYCSUJ seeks to find the truth behind outrageous claims on social media and communicate that truth to a wider audience. When asked why they began the organization, they said, “Being Muslim ourselves, it was very difficult to sit still while terrible things were happening to our brothers and sisters. We wanted to help in any way possible.” Raising awareness about their cause and getting the truth out there are some of the goals of NYCSUJ, but their overarching goal is to get the attention of the United Nations. Zalal and Lamia aim to try to make international change by using outreach to gain the support of government representatives who have shown sympathy to Uyghur Muslims.
To continue to strive towards their goal, they have divided broken their organization into different teams, with each team concentrating on a specific task. These tasks include, but are not limited to, making informational posts and videos, emailing and calling government representatives, collaborating with other organizations, finding helpful petitions to support, and dissecting popular articles and videos. Most of the people who are supporting NYCSUJ are young activists who want to make the world a better place, but their demographic also provides a barrier in reaching those who are older. The founders, however, hope to continue to gain traction so that they can spread their message to people of all ages and backgrounds throughout the world. They are also making plans to expand to other platforms in the upcoming months.
Considering that one of the primary reasons Zalal and Lamia established NYCSUJ was to find the truth behind misinformation on social media, the founders have advised that sources are extremely important to establish whether a post is credible or not. False information discredits the movement that they are attempting to start and makes it increasingly difficult to garner real change because the United Nations will not take organizations with false information seriously. Often, false information is hidden in outrageous claims that catch people’s attention and spreads rapidly. Recently, a post comparing the Uyghur situation to the Holocaust has been circulating on Instagram, and it has made other claims such as China moving towards a “Final Solution… with plans to kill one-third, lockup one-third and convert one-third of the Uyghur population,” a claim that was originally made by Dr. Erkin Sidick, an Uyghur American who is the President of the Uyghur Projects Foundation. NYCSUJ, fortunately, checked sources and debunked this post on their Instagram. Some of these posts are simply written by controversial figures or have zero evidence for their claims.
Zalal and Lamia suggest making sure to do a couple of Google searches on any information found on social media before sharing stories. They are eager to show that NYCSUJ is a trustworthy organization and to do that, sources are always included on their posts or their Instagram page. By using trustworthy sources and making it clear to their audience where they got their information from, NYCSUJ can begin to spread the right information to those who are interested in finding out the truth.
To get involved with NYCSUJ, message them on their Instagram (@nyc_suj) or email them at uighurmuslimsawareness@gmail.com. To show support for them, drop a like and/or a comment on their posts or share their posts. Anything helps to spread the name of this organization and start a movement to help fight for Uyghur justice.
