IUMS strongly condemns the Chinese authorities prohibit to fasting in Ramadan for the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province, and calls to respect the rights of Muslims.
Praise be to Allah, peace and blessings be upon the Final Messenger of Allah; Mohamed, and upon his family and companions and who follow his guidance (and after)
IUMS has followed with great concern the case of religious persecution faced by Muslims in China in general and in the Xinjiang region in particular, and especially after the Government of China has issued notifications to party members, staff, faculty and students in Xinjiang province, requiring them to not fast in Ramadan and not to engage in any religious rituals, as well as Government mandated the shops and restaurants to open during the day in Ramadan and to sell food to the citizens, also took pledges to parents to breakfast their children, and not to fast in the holy month (as reported in the newspaper The Independent), and it all comes in addition to earlier decisions months ago which committed the Government of China shops and restaurants owned by Muslims in Xinjiang to sale cigarettes and liquor to citizens, other while their shops will be closed, all of these things increase the state of tension and stress in the possession of Uighur Muslims in China, and that complicates things between Muslims and the government.
The Union mention that this region - formerly known as the East - Turkestan, which covers an area of 1.6 million square kilometers, was under a long period of time Turkish sovereignty, before the province declares independence of his country under the name of "Republic of East Turkistan", which it soon vanished under Chinese control in the rule of Mao Zedong, which is dubbed the "new front" or Xinjiang. Despite Chinese promises to give the region autonomy status, religious, cultural and linguistic aspects, but that did not happen.
The Union also mention that China, which changed a lot of external and internal policies in recent decades, and became accordingly one of the internationally influential world power economically, politically and militarily, but one thing has not changed: the internal policy of repression against Muslims!
Since the Communists on the 1946 rule, they oblige the Muslims of mixed marriages and confiscated Islamic Waqf property, and prevent preachers and teachers legitimate from teaching, and demolished the majority of mosques, and burned Islamic books, and closed down Islamic schools, and arrested Muslim leaders and involve them in detention centers.
IUMS about these recent Chinese official positions affirms the following:
1. The Union strongly condemns preventing Muslims in China's Xinjiang province of fasting the month of Ramadan, the one of the basic statutes that Allah Almighty imposed on Muslims, also condemns the force to compel parents to sign for their children to breakfasting during the day of Ramadan.
2. The acts of religious and ethnic persecution against Muslims, especially in the Xinjiang region - a Muslim majority – contravene the international laws and Chinese local laws as well.
3. The policies pursued by the Chinese government, contravene the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949, ratified by the Chinese government, which is a grave breach of the most important pillars of the foundation of contemporary international law.
4. The Chinese Muslims deprived of their religious rights, the violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states in Article II on the granting of «every human being is entitled to the rights and freedoms without distinction to race, color, sex, language or religion ...».
5. The religious repression carried out by the Chinese authorities comes contrary to Chinese domestic legislation. In 1978, after the Chinese government began a new policy with the Muslim minority within its territory, the legislation eliminates internal law not to violate the norms and customs of national minorities.
6. The Union calls the Chinese government to respect the rights of Muslims, and the observance of religious feelings, and to stop their persecution, or targeted false charges, or compels them of violating the rules and teachings of Islam which they have to do.
7. The Union demands China to reverse its decisions to compel Muslims breakfast during the day of Ramadan, and stop forcing shops and restaurants to sell food in Ramadan, or to sale alcohol and cigarettes in violation of the teachings of the Islamic religion.
8. The Union demands the international human rights organizations and governments and Islamic organizations to support the Muslim people of Xinjiang, and stand with them in the face of the intransigence of the Chinese government, and to help Chinese Muslims to get their rights and legal innate.
9. The Union specialize the Islamic Cooperation Organization, where the Muslims eyes everywhere is looking at, entrusted with defending the rights of Muslims in China across all political, legal and legitimate means popular.
10. The Union calls the media of the Arab and Islamic to speak out to support their brothers and sisters in China and to maximize the ritual fasting, Allah Almighty says, "so who maximizes the rites of Allah, it strengthens the hearts." Al-Hajj - 32.
11. The Union deplores the Western countries and the United Nations and humanitarian organizations of Western silence about this infamous religious and legal violation of Muslims in China.
12. The Union recalls that the crimes that the Chinese government is making against Muslims, international legal grave crimes, no statute of limitations. The Union also stresses that it is not permissible to pass in an Islamic silently, even if it is by the Western world.
13. If the Chinese government did not respond to this appeal, the Association of Muslim Scholars in the world will spare no effort in this hostile attitude stripping naked in front of their people and their governments, which would have economic and social impact towards China.
Allah Almighty is Who we turn to and He is the guidance to the right way
Doha on 07 Ramadan 1436 AH
Corresponding to June 24, 2015
Mr. Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradwi Mr. Dr. Ali Muhiuddin Qara Daghi
IUMS President General Secretary