The famous football player Mesut Ozil's statements stirred the feelings of the Uyghurs again

Mesut Ozil, the famous football player who played for the most famous international clubs and who faced many difficulties and isolation due to his defense of the Uyghurs against China but did not back down from his position for a moment, participated in a program on the Turkish "Wow" channel on February 16 to answer questions from young people, where the participants asked him many questions about his football career and achievements.

During the program, the Uyghur issue was addressed several times, and his answer to a question from a girl named Tuba impressed everyone and made them feel emotional. She asked him, "You have made many sacrifices in your football life; what is the biggest sacrifice you have made? Do you think it was worth it?"

“The sacrifice began when I raised my voice and stood up against China in defense of the Uyghurs, and as a result I was banned in China, my name was erased, and I cannot go to China. That is how it started. As a strong and well-known figure on social media, I shared the post about the Uyghurs. I did not share these statements randomly, but I verified what I heard about the Uyghurs myself and with my team, and after confirming the truth, I took this step. After sharing those statements, problems began to arise, such as being excluded from the team and training alone. Of course, my coach tried to use nice words to ease the matter, but I knew what was going on behind the scenes. I was exposed to such things, but as I said, the important thing is that I have a firm position, and I did not do this so that people would say, ‘Masha Allah, look how he defended the Uyghurs,’ but I did it for my conscience. I did it, and if I could go back in time, I would do it again, and I would do even more.” His words were met with warm applause from the young people present. His courageous words, which befit a young Turkish Muslim, and which he said without any regret even years after publishing those statements that cost him many problems and economic losses of millions of dollars and led to the end of his football career, aroused the feelings and admiration of the Uyghurs in the diaspora, and his statements were widely circulated on social media. On December 13, 2019, Mesut Ozil shared the following post on his Instagram account, which is followed by more than 21 million people, Twitter, which is followed by more than 24 million people, and Facebook, which is followed by more than 30 million people, which caused a stir in the global media in a short time:

“Oh East Turkistan...

Oh bleeding wound of the nation...

Oh community of mujahideen and mujahideen who are steadfast in the face of injustice...

Oh glorious believers who struggle alone against those who are trying to force them away from Islam...

The Qurans are being burned...

Mosques are being closed...

Schools are being banned...

Religious scholars are being killed one by one...

Men are being imprisoned in forced camps...

And Chinese men are being replaced in their families...

Our sisters are being forced to marry Chinese...

All this is happening...

And the nation of Muhammad, peace be upon him, is silent...

Their voices are not being heard...

How beautiful is what our Sayyidna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him):

If you cannot prevent injustice, then let everyone hear it!

Although these events have been on the agenda of the media and Western countries for months and weeks, where are the Islamic countries and media?...

Do they not know that neutrality in the face of injustice is shameful?

Do they not know that after years, our brothers there will not remember the suffering of the oppressors but will remember the silence of their Muslim brothers?

O Lord, support our brothers in East Turkistan...

Happy Friday, East Turkistan!"

This post, which was published and circulated by reputable news channels within hours of its publication, brought the East Turkistan issue to the forefront globally and even in the Islamic world.

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo then tweeted that he stood in solidarity with Turkish footballer Mesut Ozil, a player for Arsenal, against China, saying, "The CCP's propaganda apparatus may censor Mesut Ozil and Arsenal all season long, but the truth will prevail. The CCP cannot hide its gross human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other religious minorities."