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In a December 10, 2024 video posted on X by self-identified Uyghur fighter Arslan Hidayat, a group of Uyghur Islamist militants, with their faces blurred and holding an Uyghur flag, addressed worshippers at a mosque in Latakia, Syria. The group’s spokesman, speaking in Arabic with his face covered, told the crowd that they had immigrated to Syria in 2012, at the beginning of the "revolution.” He said that China has been occupying their region of East Turkistan for 65-70 years and that the Chinese government has driven the Sunni Uyghurs out of their country, oppressed, killed, and imprisoned them. He added that they were expelled from their country and had to leave their families behind but have found new families among the good and kind people of Syria. He assured the Syrian people that they had not come to disturb them, but that they are their brothers, and they appreciate their beautiful country.
Fighter: "We are the immigrant brothers from East Turkistan. Some of you may or may not know about East Turkistan. East Turkistan has been under Chinese occupation for about 65-70 years. And thank Allah, Lord of the worlds there your [Uyghur] brothers and sisters are Sunni Muslims, around 35-40 million people. Allah, praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, we are sons. The sons of East Turkistan, praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah bless and be exalted. He guided a way for us. A way to his path almighty.
"We immigrated from our country. In fact, [the Chinese government] drove us out of our country, oppressed us, killed us, and imprisoned us. We were expelled from our country and left the country and came here. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, we saw the people of Levant, Allah willing, the people of generosity. And the people of goodness, may Allah reward you with goodness. And they received us, you welcomed us so far, right?
"Today is the first time we see it again. First time we met today. But we have been here since 2012, the beginning of the revolution. In Syria, in the majestic and blessed month. The first time we came, we came to Aleppo. From Aleppo we discovered we went toward Ras Al-Ain. We were stationed in Ras Al-Ain. We were stationed in the city of Aleppo, north of the Hama, at the end of revolution. We were... in the mountains of Saht Faq, Mount Turkman, Mount Akrak, and Mount Sawiya. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, we are here.
"Today, the great victory from Allah Almighty, our Lord, blessed and exalted, honor us, our Lord Almighty, spare us. Our Lord Almighty opened us. Some of us went to Damascus. When we reached Damascus, they arrived and the first of them came back to you here. And some of us went west towards... The country is your beautiful country, Allah willing. Beautiful as the country is beautiful. Beauty looked beautiful. MashaAllah! And are most kind, Allah willing, good, Allah is generous. May Allah reward you with goodness.
"And we say, we are your brothers, we did not come to disturb you. And we will not leave you, Allah willing, you will see from us all good, Allah Almighty willing, as we have seen from you all the goodness for the past 10 years. Inshallah Almighty. And they Allah bless your brothers that your sons because we, as we said, we left the country, we left the father, we left the mother, we left the brother, we found the mother, we found the father. We found the family here with us in Syria, and you are our family. You are our sons, you are our Fathers, you are our brothers.
"We will not leave you by the will of Allah. May Allah reward you with goodness and bless you. All of us. All of us the youth of the mujahid of East Turkistan, peace be upon you to the people of this land. And everyone who came with us and did not come with us, both inside and outside the Levant, we trust in Allah, Allah willing. Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings."
Crowd: "Allah is great!"
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