Recurrence of Chinese oppression against the Uyghur Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan invites strong reaction from Muslims in various parts of the world, including Egypt, Indonesia, and America. The recent incident has killed 28 Uyghur Muslims because they rejected the restriction on fasting officially imposed by China since last year on party members, civil servants, students, and teachers. “This action has clearly hurt all Muslims in the world,” said Anwar Abbas, a Muslim intellectual and one of the chairmen of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). Meanwhile, the American Muslim community represented by CAIR organization sent an open letter to President Xi Jin Ping to urge for an end to all legal rejections and sanctions of religious freedom that have targeted Muslim, including the ban of fasting in Ramadan. Even the Al Azhar University and its great Imam, Ahmed al-Tayeb, condemned the Chinese authority that has banned Muslims, mainly from the Xinjiang region, to practice fasting during Ramadan.

Indeed, the oppression against the Uyghur Muslims cannot be separated from the system of world order continuously maintaining such predator regime of China and the Muslim puppet regimes of Central Asia that have targeted the Uyghurs endlessly. The capitalistic world order today has put economic and political interests higher than the humanitarian and basic human rights, including the right to worship to Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

China Geopolitical Interests in Central Asia: Targeting Uyghurs

For the Chinese regime, hundreds of Uyghur Muslims life are considered as worthless, compared to the value of its geopolitical interests in East Turkestan. The megaproject of China New Silk Road launched recently is one indication of the China’s strong motivation to win the new geopolitical competition in Central Asia. Some pundits estimate that China may replace the role of the US and Russia in Central Asia – a region of longstanding geostrategic significance to all parties. Moreover, the withdrawal of US military forces from Afghanistan would leave a power vacuum, also the resistance of Central Asian countries to Russia influences, China is increasingly seen by many “-stan” regimes in Central Asia as a genuine partner for trade, mutual security and development.[1]

Although this initiative represents China’s primary interest in energy, raw materials, and markets that will continue to drive economic growth, it cannot be understood only in economic terms. Because the agreement of tens of billions of dollars ($40 billions) that has been made between China and Central Asian countries is in fact about the distribution of oil and gas from the neighboring countries of Central Asia directly to China pass through the turbulent Xinjiang region where 10 million Uyghur Muslims live. Even worse, amid the business deals, the countries – members or observers of the Chinese-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a political and economic union – have almost all pledged their support against what Beijing has called “Uyghur terrorism.” [2]

In the name of economic and geopolitical interests, the predator Chinese regime has deliberately targeted the Uyghur Muslims, under the pretext of war on terrorism. China has put economic and political interests over humanity and basic human rights. How cheap the price of the Muslims lives in the eyes of communist-capitalist country like China!

Only the Second Qutaibah Will Stop China!

Besides economic and geopolitical interests, China’s obsessive attitude is also actually based on China’s long historical experience of their powerlessness against the power of the Islamic Aqeedah. The Chinese regime is well aware of the enormity of the power of the Islamic ideology which their state has felt from the 7th century CE, having witnessed how rapidly it affected their people who flocked to convert to Islam. The Islamic Khilafah in the era of Al-Walid bin ‘Abdul Malik had conquered Central Asia – including the China area – under the commander of Qutaibah bin Muslim which began in 86 AH / 705 CE.

China evermore trembles after it witnessed the power of the Muslims at that time, who managed to conquer the territories of Asia, and were not blocked by the authorities there. How the betraying rulers of Bukhara, which previously signed a peace treaty, after previously Qutaibah surrounded by troops, but they defected. After that, they pounded out by Muslim forces under commanders Qutaibah, until forced to submit to the authority of Islam in the year 87 AH / 706 CE. This experience had a tremendous political impact which is engraved in the memory of Chinese history, especially when Qutaibah successfully conquered the city of Kashgar, Samarkand and were able to successfully control the Silk Road trade routes in Central Asia which were very important for China and the world.

History will repeat itself biithnillah, and China’s predatory regime will again face the second Qutaibah under the command of the Islamic Khilafah for the second time. Commander like Qutaibah under the banner of Islam will liberate the Muslim Uighurs and restore the geopolitical power of Islam in Central Asia, where blood, property and honor of every Muslim will be protected, because the Khilafah is the state that put the life of a Muslim is more valuable than whole earth, like the words of the Prophet ﷺ:

»لزوال الدنيا أهون على الله من قتل مؤمن بغير حق«

“The wiping away of the World means less to Allah than a Believer to be killed unjustly.” [Narrated by Ibn Majah].

The Khilafah would use all tools and means at its disposal: political, economic, and military to protect Muslims from oppression and defend their lives and honour as Islam has obliged. The Khilafah will also mobilize the full force of its army to defend the Muslims, regardless of which state they reside and regardless of the cost. This is because the Khilafah is a principled state, based upon the high moral values of Islam that places great importance upon the sanctity of human life, and that is obliged to protect the blood of Muslims, rather than being driven in its actions by selfish national interests or monetary gain for the Prophet ﷺ says,

«‏إِنَّمَا الْإِمَامُ ‏‏جُنَّةٌ ‏ ‏يُقَاتَلُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ وَيُتَّقَى بِهِ…»

“Indeed, the Imam (Khaleefah) is a shield, from behind whom you fight and by whom you are protected.” [Narrated by Muslim]

 

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Fika Komara

[1] The Diplomat  – China’s New Silk Road and Its Impact on Xinjiang http://thediplomat.com/2015/03/chinas-new-silk-road-and-its-impact-on-xinjiang/

[2] Al Jazeera –  Bolstered Silk Road trade could hurt China’s Uighurs http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/11/11/china-xinjiang-apec.html