Uyghur Sheikh Mahmoud Muhammad: The Muslim World Condemns Treatment of Palestinians, Rohingya Muslims, but Supports Chinese Policy against the Uyghurs

Sheikh Mahmoud Muhammad of the Islamic Scholars Association of East Turkestan said in a December 28, 2019 interview on Elsharq TV (Turkey-Based Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood) that while the Muslim world condemns and denounces the treatment of the Palestinians and the Rohingya Muslims, it supports China in its policies against the Uyghur Muslims in East Turkestan.

Sheikh Mahmoud Muhammad: Most of the Muslim world does not even maintain a neutral position, and this confuses us, as human beings. Last October, there was condemnation of China’s policy in East Turkestan by 22 European and Western countries. Less than 10 days later, 37 countries in the Human Rights Council supported China’s measures in the Turkestan region. Over 15 of those countries were Arab and Islamic countries. When it comes to the Palestinian cause, the Rohingya people, and so on, they, at least, condemn and denounce all that is done to the Palestinians and the Rohingya people as well as other Muslim peoples.

Host: You are talking about the Arab or Muslim governments. They stop at denouncing.

Sheikh Mahmoud Muhammad: Yes, but only in regard to those causes. When it comes to the Muslims in Turkestan, they supported China and its policy. This is a very strange thing. They did not maintain a neutral position. What will they say to their God and to the future generations of Muslims? I don’t know.