Individual Muslim nations and collectively, the 54-nation Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), has over the years have muted their stand on Palestinians and on Myanmar’s Rohingyas. The most glaring is their silence on the Uyghurs, the Muslim ethnic in China’s Xinjiang province.

The silence is deafening since most OIC nations, individually, have joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China’s multi-billion development vehicle.

An estimated 11 million people are being subjected to neglect, discrimination, physical violence, social and economic ostracizing and forced separation of families, with adults being sent to schools for reorientation being run by the Chinese Communist Party.

While some may lend lip service, other Muslim nations are explicit in their support to Beijing. The 37 nations that jointly supported China on the Uighur issue at the United Nations in August last year included several nations who dominate the OIC, like Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Some allow their ulema, the Muslim clergy to talk about the issue at Friday prayers in mosques, but as governments, they maintain silence so as not to annoy China.

The most glaring example is Pakistan. It is "not bringing up Uighur repression because 'China has helped us” Prime Minister Imran Khan has said. “...we are really grateful to the Chinese government, and we decided that whatever issues we will have with China, we will deal with them privately," he said in an interview in January 2020 while attending the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland.

Popular

Recentralization concerns in fiscal, education heighten

Batam residents protest data centers amid water crisis

Safeguarding Indonesia's AI future