Opinion
We must speak out for the Uyghers
'A cultural genocide is taking place. A new generation will emerge, cut off from their roots, religious beliefs and language.'
January 28, 2020 10:53
1 min read
'A cultural genocide is taking place. A new generation will emerge, cut off from their roots, religious beliefs and language.'
January 28, 2020 10:53I stand opposite the Chinese Embassy, a student in shock. How do I not recognise anyone around me? How are there only 50 people here? How am I one of the only people representing the local Jewish community? We have all heard of the bystander effect, we have been taught it again and again, yet when it is time to stand up everyone is silent.
There are currently more than 1,000,000 Uyghurs being detained in Xinjiang, in China. They are a Muslim minority who have had a difficult history in China, with independence being a contentious factor. They have been oppressed with bans on praying, fasting on Ramadan, wearing veils and growing beards, for years. Now,many are being held in brainwashing camps, where the main aim is to ensure adherence to Chinese Communist Party ideology. Families have been separated, mothers and fathers are left in despair with no contact with their children nor no knowledge of where they are.
It seems that a cultural genocide is taking place. A new generation will emerge, cut off from their roots, religious beliefs and language.
I think of my family who had to flee Holland, Hungary and Iraq in the last century, just because of their religion. How is it that in the 21st century our rights are still defined by religion?
Just a month ago the Jewish community breathed a collective sigh of relief, when Jeremy Corbyn failed to win power. We had united and stood up for "never again". We had rallied in Parliament Square. We had argued with those who disagreed. Critically, we had appealed to the non-Jewish community to understand our plight and to help us. And our efforts were rewarded.
China may seem far and distant, but this is not a reason to stand back and watch human dignity disintegrate. It’s time for the Jewish community to join forces, to do the right thing, to fight against the persecution of the Uyghurs.
I am a practising and proud Jew today thanks to a Christian couple who decided they were not going to look blindly at the horrors of the Holocaust. They bravely hid my grandmother, while risking their own lives. Last year, when I stood at Yad Vashem and proudly witnessed the couple being honoured as The Righteous of The Nations, I made a pledge to myself that when a religion was oppressed I would stand up and make a difference.
With the 75th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, I hope the Jewish community will not remain silent.
As Edmund Burke famously said:“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Emmanuelle Benjamin is a student at UCL
To get more from opinion, click here to sign up for our free Editor's Picks newsletter.