Even wedding celebrations... How China turned them into a silent tragedy

In East Turkistan, in addition to forcing Uyghur women and girls to marry Chinese colonizers, Uyghur wedding traditions also fall under the shadow of China's dark policies.

Scenes circulating on social media in recent days have deeply angered Uyghurs in the diaspora. These images show that at Uyghur weddings, the bride and groom are fully dressed in traditional red Chinese clothing, Chinese lanterns are hung in the hall, and the wedding rituals are performed entirely in the Chinese style.

Alongside the Chinese attire, what is particularly striking is the bride and groom's bowing to their parents, a tradition by Chinese custom, and even prostrating and banging their heads on the ground, in complete contradiction to Uyghur beliefs and traditions. Whether they are the brides or the bridegrooms, none of them show signs of wedding joy. Rather, the widespread expressions of anxiety and sadness reveal that these types of weddings are being held under the pressure of the Chinese regime.

In its ethnic genocide, China seeks to completely eradicate the identity, faith, and traditions of Turkic peoples like the Uyghurs and to Sinicize them. According to witnesses, marriage ceremonies, one of the most important aspects of a wedding, have long been restricted and forbidden to the public. Even weddings, considered one of the few days of happiness for the people, have been unable to escape China's grip.

Analysts have expressed that this criminal act perpetrated by China against the Muslim Uyghur people documents a painful aspect of the issue: the authorities interfere in the most private and sacred moments of people's lives—weddings. This represents a profound violation of cultural and religious rights, as wedding traditions are an essential part of any people's cultural identity.

Visual scenes, such as the sad facial expressions and the absence of natural joy at such occasions, indicate the profound psychological and social impact of these ugly policies.