CUS Press Release
For Immediate Release
June 28, 2023
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As the joyful occasion of Eid al-Adha dawns upon the Muslims around the world, the Center for Uyghur Studies would like to extend its congratulations and best wishes to the Muslim Ummah. Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, remembers the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son when God ordered him to and reflects the values of sacrifice, compassion and devotion. During Eid al-Adha, families and friends get together to celebrate the cheerful occasion of festivities.
The Muslims in East Turkistan have been celebrating this festive occasion for a thousand years, together with the global Muslim community. The Eid has always reminded the Uyghur Muslims that they are a part of the Muslim Ummah. However, the Uyghur Muslims – who have been preserving their Islamic identity even under the Chinese occupation for 70 years – are now facing the genocide of the Chinese regime. Since 2017, the Chinese regime has declared an all out war on Islam in East Turkistan, criminalizing all Islamic practices and banning religious festivals including the two Eids. The Uyghur Muslims have been forced to celebrate Chinese festivals instead of their religious and cultural festivals and holidays. The Chinese authorities have demolished, closed down or converted the majority of the mosques in East Turkistan. In addition, attending mosques has been used as a pretext to sending Uyghurs to concentration camps. Therefore, the Muslims in East Turkistan have no opportunity to pray the Eid prayer, an essential religious duty to mark the occasion.
Since 2017, the Chinese authorities launched concentration camps across East Turkistan and interned millions of Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims for practicing their religious and cultural traditions. As communication with Uyghurs overseas was a substantial pretext used to send Uyghurs to concentration camps, the Uyghurs in the diaspora have not been able to talk to their relatives and friends back home. Hence, the Uyghurs in the diaspora cannot even call their relatives and friends in East Turkistan to congratulate them and say “Eid Mubarak!”. At times like these, it is heart-wrenching to think about more than 900,000 Uyghur children who have been forcibly separated from their families.
Executive Director Abdulhakim Idris said, “First of all, I would like to congratulate my Muslim brothers and sisters around the world on the arrival of another Eid al-Adha. I wish everyone a happy Eid with their families and friends. Also, as we rejoice on this occasion, we must not forget the Muslims in East Turkistan who are deprived of celebrating this happy moment and are enduring tremendous suffering and oppression. Since China’s occupation of East Turkistan in 1949, the Uyghur Muslims have made immense sacrifices for freedom, human rights and democracy. I strongly believe that the Muslims have an obligation to stand up for the rights of Uyghur Muslims and against China’s war on Islam and genocide. Through volunteering, charitable donations and raising awareness, Muslims can contribute to the struggle to stop the Uyghur Genocide.”
As we celebrate another Eid al-Adha, let us extend our prayers, support and solidarity to the oppressed Uyghur and other Muslims in East Turkistan. May this Eid al-Adha bring peace, happiness and prosperity to all Muslims.
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