China’s obliteration of the Uyghurs’ last refuge: their home

The dictatorial regime is engaged in relentless multi-faceted attempts at destroying Uyghur families and homes, writes Uyghur leader Abdulhakim Idris

The ongoing Uyghur genocide remains a grave concern, as perpetrated by the Chinese regime through numerous crimes against humanity in East Turkistan. And despite the constant stream of new evidence and documentation, the Beijing regime strongly denies the occurrence of this genocide.

China’s “Three News” campaign

Along with the physical destruction of Uyghur homes, Chinese dictator Xi Jinping has also ordered the eradication of Uyghur culture.

Under the auspices of a campaign dubbed “Three News”, Uyghurs are coerced into unwavering loyalty to the Communist Party.

The three pillars are to:

Thank the Party

Listen to the Party

Follow the Party.

This campaign further prohibits Uyghur and Kazakh Muslims from naming their children, performing circumcisions, or organising weddings and funerals.

Disturbingly, during the period encompassing Professor Grose’s research, it is estimated that over 300,000 Uyghur homes were converted into the Communist Party system through these measures. [2]

“Pair Up and Become Family” programme

Assigned “relatives” are yet another tool employed by the Chinese regime to assert control over Uyghur homes.

In October 2016, Beijing introduced a new method of repression called the “Pair Up and Become Family” programme. [A3] Under this monstrous scheme, millions of civil servants are assigned to reside in Uyghur households for a minimum of five days every two months. [3]

Reliable sources have shared with Radio Free Asia an account from Yengisar County in Kashgar, East Turkestan, where Uyghur families have witnessed an influx of Chinese individuals, predominantly men, occupying their homes.

These “relatives”, who are appointed to allegedly assist the families, propagate the ideals of the Chinese regime during their stays.

State-sponsored gang rape

At night, these CCP officials share the same bed with the Uyghurs, sometimes even accommodating three people under the pretence of cold weather. These officials also engage in meals and other activities together. [A3]

Certainly, the situation is particularly challenging for single women whose husbands have been detained in concentration camps

Tech-driven oppression: the extent of Orwellian surveillance in East Turkestan

To eradicate not just the Uyghur Muslims and Turkic peoples of East Turkestan, but also the very last traces of them, the Chinese regime has implemented stringent measures, such as the prohibition of public Islamic practices.

The regime heavily implements the Big Brother surveillance system depicted in George Orwell’s renowned novel, 1984. Under this system, Beijing actively encourages residents to report on their own neighbours.

Attacks on the sanctity of parenthood through forced marriage

Given the paramount influence of parental education on a child’s development, it becomes evident that the Chinese regime has employed an additional strategy that targets the fundamental family structure.

This strategy involves the forced marriage of young Uyghur Muslim girls to Han Chinese men. The American anthropologist Darren Byler emphasises that while young Uyghur Muslim men are sent to concentration camps, the remaining Uyghur girls are forced to marry Han Chinese individuals who are affiliated with the Communist Party.

Indoctrination of children through forced enrolment in Chinese boarding schools

Another group targeted by the Chinese regime in the genocidal extermination of the Uyghur population is the children of East Turkistan.

A report published by the New York Times on 28 December 2019 revealed that approximately 500,000 non-Han Chinese children were forcibly enrolled into public boarding schools under the control of the CCP.

Homes to prisons: cultural heritage erased

As summarised above, one of the most fundamental objectives of the present-day Uyghur genocide in East Turkistan is the eradication of the religious belief and cultural heritage of the people, which have long thrived within their homes and permeated through every facet of society