In July 2015, outside the Id Kah Mosque in the ancient Silk Road trade town of Kashgar, Uyghur men and women pray during Eid al-Fitr, a joyous Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. Police vehicles and security line the public square in Xinjiang, China. Alexandra Williams
The Chinese government is persecuting Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, China on the basis of their religion and ethnicity. The Museum’s Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide is deeply concerned that China’s actions may rise to the level of crimes against humanity.
The Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim group, have been targeted by the Chinese government for decades. In recent years, the government has escalated a campaign of persecution and mass detention in a sprawling system of forced labor camps and prisons. Between one and three million Uyghurs—of a population of 12 million—are currently in some form of detention, and those who are not still face rapidly tightening control restricting their ability to express their identity.
Please join us to learn more about what is happening to the Uyghurs.
Panelists
Rushan Abbas, Executive Director, Campaign for Uyghurs
Jessica Batke, Senior Editor, ChinaFile
Alim Seytoff, Director of Uyghur Service, Radio Free Asia
Dr. Adrian Zenz, Senior Fellow in China Studies, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
This program is free and open to the public, but reservations are required.
For more information, please contact calendar@ushmm.org.