The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned an ongoing attempt by Chinese authorities in Xinjiang to “erase” Uyghur culture by systematically changing hundreds of Uyghur village names to ones reflecting Chinese Communist Party ideology.
In a new study, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Norway-based Uyghur Hjelp (“Uyghur help”) identified some 630 villages where the names have been changed from names reflecting Uyghur history and culture to names such as “Happiness,” “Unity,” and “Harmony.”
“The Chinese authorities have been changing hundreds of village names in Xinjiang from those rich in meaning for Uyghurs to those that reflect government propaganda,” said Maya Wang, acting China director at Human Rights Watch. “These name changes appear part of Chinese government efforts to erase the cultural and religious expressions of Uyghurs.”
“This name change campaign is clearly part of the Chinese government’s ongoing attempt to erase Uyghur culture and its Islamic heritage,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “The international community, and particularly Muslim-majority nations, must take action to stop this genocidal campaign.”
He noted that yesterday, CAIR condemned the Chinese government’s removal of a dome from a mosque in China’s Yunnan Province. CAIR also condemned the Chinese government’s crackdown on Eid al-Adha celebrations and halal products in the Uyghur region.
He noted that CAIR previously condemned the Chinese Communist Party’s forced “sinicization” of Islam in the Uyghur region.
SEE: CAIR Condemns Chinese Communist Party’s Forced ‘Sinicization’ of Islam in Uyghur Region
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com