Many Muslims residing in China are currently facing an epidemic. Uyghurs, the Muslim, Turkic-speaking minority in China, are being forced into re-education camps. As a Communist country, human rights violations like these have been running rampant for years. Chinese government officials consider these camps educational and political, however many detainees describe it as prison.

Everyday members in the camp have to endure endless amounts of physical and verbal abuse. Their days consist of singing Chinese hymns, studying Chinese communist propaganda, and honoring President Xi Jinping. They are frequently forced to eat pork and drink alcohol, in order to renounce their faith. Muslims who refuse to listen to direction are tortured, waterboarded, and sometimes even killed. Their nights are spent crowded into cells like birds in cages. There’s about one million Muslims being detained in these re-education camp currently. Before sending them to the camps, Chinese government officials have gone to the lengths of installing security cameras, scanners, and checkpoints so that those suspected of foreign ties can be interrogated.

The reasoning behind these cruel policies and the persecution of Muslims in China can be traced back to 2009. Hundreds of lives were taken in ethnic riots, and some Uighur nationalists have carried out terrorists attacks. The Chinese government has seen Uighurs as a threat since then and are worried that they will try to claim an independent homeland in Xinjiang. Since then, Chinese president, Xi Jinping has put the idea into people’s heads that Muslims “ideologically sick”.

New evidence continues to emerge on this situation at hand. Human rights advocates are getting involved and doing everything they can to help. However, Chinese government consistently avoids questions about these camps. Similar situations are happening in other places to other religions. In order to free these people of the religious persecution they are facing we have to take a stand and speak up. Over the summer I even signed a petition and told my friends to make people more aware of what’s going on . The world needs to put a stop to these 21st century concentration camps!