The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned on Wednesday Chinese authorities’ ongoing suppression of the Muslim community in Xinjiang. The civil rights and advocacy NGO accused the Chinese government of attempting to “erase” Uyghur culture, the Chinese Muslim ethnic minority, by renaming their villages in a manner that reflects the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ideology.

CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper stated:

This name change campaign is clearly part of the Chinese government’s ongoing attempt to erase Uyghur culture and its Islamic heritage. The international community, and particularly Muslim-majority nations, must take action to stop this genocidal campaign.

CAIR also condemned Chinese authorities’ removal of a dome from a mosque in Yunnan and its replacement by a “Chinese-style pagoda,” in addition to its crackdown on Eid Al-Adha celebrations in Xinjiang. CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison urged the international community to take action against China’s “Sinicization” of Islam in the Muslim-majority region.

The condemnation follows a newly published report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Norwegian NGO Uyghur Hjelp, which documents the Chinese government’s systematic erasure of Uyghur culture and religion in 630 villages. HRW asserted that the name changes have had a meaningful impact on Uyghurs residing in those villages, and highlighted the consequent violation of Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which protects the right of ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities to “enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own language.”

The Chinese government’s treatment of ethnic minorities has been subject to multiple condemnations. In January, HRW reported that the government tightened its control over the religious practices of Uyghurs with new regulations based on its religion “Sinicization” plan. Another HRW report released in November 2023 documented the government’s increased mosque closures in the northern Ningxia region and Gansu province in violation of religious freedom. The Chinese government has also received international criticism over an alleged genocide against Uyghur people.

Earlier this week, the EU expressed concerns about the dire human rights situation in the country, particularly in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong during the 39th session of the Joint Human Rights Dialogue in Chongqing, highlighting the serious situation concerning people of religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities. It reported cases of unlawful detention, enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment. It noted that several human rights defenders and lawyers have been “deprived of their liberty” for having promoted and protected human rights.