Press Release
Criminal China Launches the Worst Terror Campaign to Forbid the Muslims from Fasting!
(Translated)

China has imposed tight surveillance of the practices of the Muslim Uyghur community during the month of Ramadan in the Xinjiang province in the far west of the country, according to what has been reported by Uyghur exiles and local officials. And sources have stated the Chinese measures include forbidding Muslim students from fasting during the days of Ramadan and surveillance of their phone calls. And the Uyghur Muslims, whose number exceeds nine million people, complain of religious persecution in this province which is rich in petroleum while economically underdeveloped.

The ruling party is viciously trying to eliminate the Uyghur Muslims and integrate them into mainstream Chinese culture, for their animosity is deeply-rooted, and their aversion to Islam is immense. The fact that government policies suppress their cultural and religious character is confirmed by the exiled Uyghurs and many international organizations. The spokeswoman for the Bureau of Education in the Chatca district said, "Students must attend school every Friday (during the month of Ramadan)". And she added that "they are prohibited from fasting, them and their teachers." Just as local governments called for shops to remain open and ordered government workers not to fast. And the Educational Commission in Tekesi said that every school and day care center in the district signed a written contract that guarantees none of their workers would fast.

And Djelksat Raksi, spokesman for the World Uyghur Conference, said: "The schools and universities monitor the student's phones and their accounts on electronic messaging and social media." And he added that "during Ramadan, religious societies are forbidden from undertaking any religious training activities under any name." And he said: "Control reaches to mosques and homes, where authorities enter Uyghur homes in the name of keeping stability and provides them with refreshments and fruit and supervises their eating them, and presents those who abstain from eating and drinking with the charge of illegal fasting practices."

Islam reached China approximately in the year 29 AH, however the suffering of its people only appeared after the degeneration of the Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate"'s influence and then its downfall. China occupied east Turkistan in 1760 CE, and its forces at that time killed around one million local Muslims, and ruled the Muslims by iron and fire and forms of abuse, until religious persecution became official Chinese policy. But the suffering of the Muslims of China was not unique, for their brothers in Czarist Russia suffered the most severe colors of suffering and tasted the harshest persecution, and the Russians in that era carried out the worst crimes and most severe forms of abuse and torture against the Muslims, they even forced the people to believe in Christianity under the threat of the sword and guillotine. The matter persisted and indeed increased in force under the rule of the former Communist Soviet Union, which forbid the establishment of any religious observances, like prayer and fasting and Zakat and Hajj, and forced the Muslim women to unveil.

 O Muslims of China, Be patient...

Patience, for we too have suffered what you have suffered of weakness and humiliation, for the Muslims in the East and West of the world, have suffered separation and breakage, and they have become as orphans in the time of the rulers of devastation and the degenerate democratic capitalistic system, indeed no one cried over their dead. And here the most egregious colors of persecution is exercised against them, even what is most sacred to us was not spared from their evil, so what are you waiting for after today!? We are certain from our Lord that triumph will be for this Deen and victory is for the followers of Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him, and this Ummah of Muhammad (saw) has begun to stir to life again, and success Allah willing will be the lot of the believing supporters of Islam, under the condition that we are truly, in word and deed supporters of it, that we shake our shoulders of the dust of humiliation and disgrace, and the wound is deep and has been long bleeding and the pain is severe, and after Allah we have nothing but the relentless work to establish the state of Islam, and the Khaleefah will protect our Deen, so let us be of the soldiers of Allah and the soldiers of the Righteous Khilafah "Caliphate", that will remove this humiliation and cut the hands of the evil aggressors.

 O Ummah of Islam,

The time has come for you to be sure that our Deen was preserved and our honor was protected when there was the Khilafah "Caliphate", and our Deen was lost and our honor was violated when it was lost. So have you built momentum to establish the Khilafah "Caliphate", and have you worked truly with those who have worked seriously to establish it, so will you be a great supporter of Hizb ut Tahrir that has stood for its establishment since its founding? So that we can cleanse our Ummah of what it befell of humiliation from enemies and from the disgrace of their allies, to restore the power and dominance for Islam and the Muslims.

(واذكروا إذ أنتم قليل مستضعفون في الأرض تخافون أن يتخطفكم الناس فآواكم وأيدكم بنصره ورزقكم من الطيبات لعلكم تشكرون)

"And remember when you were few and oppressed in the land, fearing that people might abduct you, but He sheltered you, supported you with His victory, and provided you with good things - that you might be grateful."

Osman Backach
Director of the Central Media Office
of Hizb ut Tahrir