Influential Muslims have urged for their respective countries to boycott the buying of Chinese products. They hope that through doing this, it can help bring justice to the Uighurs in China.
Purchasing Power
There are rumblings across multiple Muslim countries. If you listen closely, they are all shouts of justice for the imprisoned Uighur population in China. Multiple people are stepping up and urging for their respective communities to do something about this injustice.
Just recently, Mohd Asri bin Zainul Abidin took the stand. He is a very important and influential preacher in the country. He used his position to get a message out. The message: the end of the wrongful detention of Uighur Muslims in China.
This was not a message for the Malaysian government alone, to which he was under. It was actually an entreaty to all Muslims countries and states. It was said in the hopes that their political and religious leaders would do something.
There are two ways that Muslim countries can help out. One is through economic actions that affect Beijing, and the other is through diplomatic actions.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Abidin said that one thing that could be one was to boycott Chinese products. He stated that China understands the purchasing power of the Muslim community.
This interview took place during a Muslim summit that took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This was an echo of his statement during the summit as well. In it, he told the participants that the strength of the two billion Muslims in the world could work together and put pressure on policies throughout the world.
Fallen on Deaf Ears
This is not the first time this call for Uighur rang out. This has been an issue for quite some time now. Unfortunately, it has fallen on deaf ears. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has been deeply criticized for remaining silent in the face of the Uighur injustice in China.
Last July, more than 20 countries voted for the ending of the Uighur camps in China. However, more countries than that sided with China. In fact, these countries lauded China for what they have done for the human rights of their citizens.
A month ago, a senior leader of the exiled Uighur population in Europe said the same thing as Abidin did recently. He said that there was no excuse for the Muslim countries turning a blind eye to this issue. He similarly stressed that Muslim countries should cut economic ties with Beijing.
This past week, a member of the current Malaysian Parliament urged for members of the Kuala Lumpur summit to bring the Uighur issue into the light once again and take some actions to fix it.
If Malaysia were to boycott the purchase of products from China, it could be a significant blow. Last year, Malaysia was the top Muslim trading partner of China. Their exports amounted to approximately $45 billion.
Other non-Muslim countries from around the world have also caught wind of the Uighur injustice in China. The United States has actually passed an “Uighur bill” to help. Let’s see if certain countries rise up and add to the support for the Uighur population in China.
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