The Mistreatment of Uyghur Muslims in China by Lauren Sprow

Over 3 million Uyghur Muslims have been forced into concentration camps in China. They are forced to endure physical and psychological torture designed to silence them and repress their religion. Islam is essentially banned across China; Mosques are heavily monitored or destroyed, prayer is forbidden, and food may not bear the Halal mark in Uyghur areas. Even outside of the concentration camps, Chinese Uyghur Muslims are subject to constant surveillance ranging from government informants to DNA sampling. The conditions in the camps have been called "a systemic, government-led program of cultural genocide" by experts. Not only are the detainees forced to renounce their religion and subjected to torture, but they are also forced to work in factories in Xinjiang. These factories continue the treatments begun in the concentration camps, with government minders and after-work Mandarin language classes. If the workers refuse the work assignments, they are threatened with further detention in re-education camps. This is not contained within China, either. Uyghur Muslims from across the world have disappeared when traveling in China. Some are interrogated and mistreated, but eventually released. Most, however, are never seen again. The Muslim population in China has changed by -58% since 1955 due to this treatment, but major media outlets have been largely silent. It is our responsibility to do what we can to stop this mistreatment by spreading information, boycotting brands profiting from these concentration camps, donating, and signing petitions for change.