On 5th August, the Diplomat reported that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees recently challenged Thailand’s repatriations of Uyghurs to China. This act, under international law could be termed refoulement, the return of a victim to their persecutor. This reflects both a long-term reality and a new political commonality. Although only around 6 percent of the population identifies as Muslim, an insurgency in southern Thailand has run for 55 years. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha was revealing when he said, “Do you want us to keep them here for ages until they have children for three generations?”
The decision to send the Uyghurs back to China was driven at least in part of Thailand’s fear of its own Islamic population. There is more than a hint of truth to this, and Prayut certainly spoke to it when he said of his decision, “we do not want to destroy the relationship between Thailand and China.” China claims that Xinjiang province as its own, a claim that is hard for the people who live there to accept since they had little say in it and generally faces a large degree of cultural, economic and religious persecution.
Comment:
The crisis of the Rohingya refugees has not ended yet, but the Uyghur Muslims have already received the same fate by the act of repatriation executed by the Thailand government towards them. The Uyghurs who originate from Xinjiang, China have been continuously oppressed by the government there since the establishment of People’s Republic of China in the year 1949. In fact, the land that they occupied was also confiscated and they were chased out of their homes. This is the fate of the Muslims who are oppressed without proper protection.
The Uyghur Muslims’ misfortune is like a catastrophe that has fallen upon them when Thailand, the country that they seek refuge, refuses to accept them and has sent them back to China. The question is where will they go? The house and land that they live in since their ancestors lived have been confiscated and they have nothing at all. It is as if they are homeless in their own land and refugees in their own country.
Even though the ASEAN conference has just ended, nonetheless a consensus regarding the issue of refugees still has not been achieved. This proves that the ASEAN’s ‘tusk’ is not capable of subduing the Kufr countries to defend the fate of the suppressed Muslims such as the Rohingya and Uyghurs. Therefore, it is time for us to realise Oh Muslims, that we cannot place hope by any resolutions or any ‘powerful’ countries to solve the problems of the Muslims. What we require is a form of unity from all the Muslims to defend our rightful fate together. We must unite to attain real change under the Shariah and Khilafah. It is us who must change our fate as Allah has mentioned in the Holy Quran:
إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ
“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.”
(Ar-Radd: 11)
Allah swt has also promised the establishment of the Khilafah once again for the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad saw through his hadith:
«ثُمَّ تَكُونَ خِلاَفَةٌ عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ نُبُوَّةٍ»
“Then there will be a Khilafah upon the method of Prophethood.” [Narrated by Ahmad]
Let us actualize this promise together and at the same time this effort surely will terminate all the severe sufferings felt by people. Hold steadfast to the Islamic Aqeedah as well as the commands and prohibitions from Allah swt, as Allah has promised victory to those who are saleh (pious).
Sumayyah Ammar
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir