The Uyghur Holocaust and the Shame of Our Silence
by Anthony Arnold
Edited by Francine Dash & Clay-Adam Johnson
They live in concentration camps. Targeted because of their differences, it’s estimated that perhaps as many as two million members of China’s Uyghur population have been moved into what the Chinese government describes as “vocational education and training” centers.
The Uyghur’s are a predominantly Muslim, minority, who inhabit the northwestern part of China, more specifically, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region or Xinjiang. Traditionally they dwell in villages connected by a network of oases formed in the valleys and lower slopes of the Tien Shan, Pamirs and other mountains. While recognized as Chinese citizens, the Uyghur people have been persecuted for their religion and their culture by the reigning majority group of China, the Han.
Recently, more and more Han Chinese began moving into the Uyghur region, leading to tensions heightening, protests, and the Chinese government laying down the law. The most controversial of them, something that was initially denied, are the detention camps, one of the largest detentions of an ethnic group since the Holocaust.
Reports from various international groups share stories of labor camps, forced birth and population control, crimes against humanity, and an oppressive surveillance network having only sporadically appeared over the last 3 years.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI): “The ‘re-education’ campaign appears to be entering a new phase, as government officials now claim that all ‘trainees’ have ‘graduated’. There is mounting evidence that many Uyghurs are now being forced to work in factories within Xinjiang. This report reveals that Chinese factories outside Xinjiang are also sourcing Uyghur workers under a revived, exploitative government-led labor transfer scheme.”
Jamestown Foundation: “Documents from 2019 reveal plans for a campaign of mass female sterilization in rural Uyghur regions, targeting 14 and 34 percent of all married women of childbearing age in two Uyghur provinces that year. This project targeted all of southern Xinjiang and continued in 2020 with increased funding. This campaign likely aims to sterilize rural minority women with three or more children, as well as some with two children—equivalent to at least 20 percent of all childbearing-age women.”
Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting: “The Tribunal is also satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that one or more of the following acts have been committed on Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghur in the PRC: murder, extermination, imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty in violation of fundamental rules of international law, torture, rape or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity, persecution on racial, national, ethnic, cultural or religious grounds that are universal, recognized as impermissible under international law, and enforced disappearance.”
As part of its increasingly aggressive positioning towards China, the Trump administration has recently ramped up both its rhetoric and punitive actions. Politicians have also issued boilerplate statements condemning what’s being done. Although useful, these actions, which are clouded by political concerns, have failed to focus the public on the plight of the Uyghur community. In contrast to these words and actions, the International community is, at this very moment, preparing for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
So, where are the strong showings of moral outrage? Where are the protests outside embassies and the boycotts of brands profiting from human rights abuse? Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Further, King issues a direct rebuke to those who would passively sit by and “express outrage” while doing precious little to fight for the dignity of others.
Meanwhile, the Uyghur people face their fate alone. But why?
The easiest answer may simply be greed. An endless love of money has prevented any sort of functioning resistance to China’s actions. For both big business owners and cultural powerhouses, China represents a potential golden goose.
Companies look at the growth of China’s middle class, which is expected to outnumber the entire population of the United States soon, and see a source of new customers that could pad their bottom line for decades to come. They also see a potential explosion of cheap labor that could reduce their costs at the same time. The combination of the two would ensure that the CEO’s continue receiving jaw-dropping bonuses and that shareholders keep seeing eye-popping stock growth far into the future.
Apple, a company with a market capitalization that surpassed $1 trillion this year, best represents this bottom-line driven focus. China not only accounts for tens of billions of dollars in sales for Apple, but the region also makes up the manufacturing base for Apple’s products. It’s not surprising then that Apple is one of the “83 foreign and Chinese companies directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers outside Xinjiang through potentially abusive labor transfer programs”. (ASPI)
Apple isn’t the only company you might recognize on that list. Nike, whose use of manufacturing in China has long been a topic of concern, is a member of this elite club of compromised companies. Similar to Apple, Nike’s growth is also propelled by multi-billion dollar sales in China, now the backbone of the international supply chain across multiple industries, and companies from around the world, all dependent on the cheap labor China provides.
Over the last decade, China has been involved with Hollywood’s growth as both a consumer of our cultural products and as a financer of films. When Marvel makes a movie, the concessions to China’s demands begin before the movie ever begins production. When it comes time to promote the movie, Hollywood’s biggest stars will be right there, promoting their franchises with photoshoots and press tours.
Similar to other big businesses, Chinese investment has helped studios on the cost side as well, by financing dozens of high profile films over the last few years. At a time when the American box office is being squeezed by streaming services, China’s emergence as a major source of both supply and demand has been a crucial lifeline. This dependence is not without a price though.
Last October, Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey ran headlong into the limits of this when he sent out a currently deleted tweet stating that he supported Hong Kong. Morey, an American citizen, was using a platform that is banned in China. The Chinese government was quick to respond by pulling support for NBA players, NBA games, and threatening to blow up the NBA’s relationship with China -- something that is extremely lucrative.
Chinese revenue accounts for $500 million dollars a year for the league, and NBA China is a $5 billion dollar brand. Individual players have their relationships with China, with prominent stars such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry making trips to sell apparel.
Driven by a desire to protect their profits, business owners, actors, athletes, and brands have decided to say nothing. The risk for these individuals and companies, who have already made many more millions than they could realistically spend, is that they may be prevented from making a few million more.
The Uyghurs, no matter how horrific, simply doesn’t register as something to be concerned about in this profit centered world. They are too far removed from our everyday experiences for their suffering to rise above the level of background noise. So, by default, we ignore them. We all want to believe that our morality runs straight and true; that we are aware of what’s going on and would stand up to injustice, or that our government will do it for us. The reality is something else.
We take our cues from our political and cultural leaders. When our leaders highlight an issue that needs attention, we rally behind them, forcing action from the offending party. However, China’s arrival as both a political and cultural force has short-circuited this process entirely. It’s a familiar strategy for students of history, because it’s the same one the United States employed throughout the 20th century.
Our combination of economic, military and cultural might insulated us from attack, allowing us to position ourselves as the world’s indispensable nation. But while familiar, the implications of this for the Uyghurs are disheartening.
The phrase “Never Again” is often invoked when talking about the Holocaust. For human rights activists, it’s a rallying cry. For the rest of us, it’s a catchphrase we could use as a hashtag. But what if it means nothing? What if the truth is something far more brutal? What if it’s “Never again unless we can’t be bothered.” Or “Never again, unless my bottom line is involved.” That seems to be a more accurate description of what’s happening. <
Right now, there are ongoing protests about police brutality. Names trend on Twitter, stories are passed around on Facebook, and many people get to feel a collective sense of moral superiority. All of this done with nods from some of our favorite brands, stars, and leaders that it’s ok, even preferable, to say that “Black Lives Matter.” However, for Black lives to matter, Uyghur lives must also matter. The lives of the powerless are tied together.
In 1853, the abolitionist minister Theodore Parker said, “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.” I’d like to amend that though.
The moral universe is not an arc. It’s an ellipse. We, the powerless, all travel this path together, orbiting around those with the power to make a difference. If we do not help each other then all of our journeys will bring us right back to where we begin. But our path will not bend itself. We, who only perceive ourselves as powerless, must change our course, and chart our path through the stars.
In the Bible, Cain slew Abel. Upon being questioned by God about Abel’s disappearance, Cain responded “Am I my brother’s keeper?” We cannot be Cain, for we all must be each other’s keeper.